Where the heart is
by Millipher Steerus
Summary: Voldemort was never defeated. Lily and James are still alive. Teddy Lupin has never known a simple or normal life, but who would when their whole existance consists of being on the run and dodging death eaters. AU fic - more of an explanation inside.
1. Chapter 1

**So here it is - a random Harry Potter fanfic. **

**This is highly AU and it was inspired by a weird dream that i had - but i'm sure you'll find it awesome nonetheless :D **

**A quick overview before you get started : Voldemort (Referred to as The Master in my fic) was never killed - Peter still betrayed his friends but Sirius realised what was going on and warned Lily and James in time -Yay! Also Tonks is the same age as the marauders and went to school with them, and her and Remus are married...but not all is right with the world...**

**Chapter 1**

Teddy Lupin was only six but he knew that the world was wrong.

For a start, the Master was in control. You never said his real name, nor his former, which had been he-who-must-not-be-named. He'd been in charge for ten years now, his rein of terror stronger now than before.

Another, would be the fact that him and his father were on the run. His father was a part of the order of the phoenix and had fought against the Master, which meant he was on the wanted list, which subsequently meant, so was Teddy.

Finally, Teddy had never met his mother. Well, he must have done once, but not in living memory. Teddy's Mum was a prisoner of the Master's and had been for six long years. His Father, Remus, had been trying to get her out for as long as Teddy could remember, but to no avail. Nobody knew where she was kept but they knew that she was not dead. She'd only been saved because of her heritage, her mother being a Black, but Teddy knew that sometimes, even his Father doubted whether she was alive or not. Nobody had heard from her these past years.

***[:]***

Teddy was currently sat in his room of the small cottage that had belonged to his Fathers parents. It was what he classed as home; seeming his Father and him were always on the move. They always returned here.

He was sat on his bed, his head rested against the wall as he stared blankly out of the window. It had fallen dark several hours ago and Teddy could only make out the dark outline of several trees in the distance. He had a book in his hands, a Muggle book that his Dad had got him. James and the Giant Peach. He had been reading, his Dad had taught him and he'd taken to it immediately, loving the stories and adventures the different characters had. But mostly the way he could escape.

But Teddy wasn't escaping anywhere at the moment. Instead of pretending he was James and was floating through the sky, meeting the cloud people, he was quietly listening to the voices drifting up the stairs.

"Moony, you know this is stupid. It's been six years." Teddy recognized the voice, it was Uncle Padfoot. Sirius wasn't really his Uncle but Teddy called him that, along with Uncle Prongs.

"I'm not leaving here." Was his Fathers short reply. "I'm not leaving the country."

"Mate, everyone's worried about you. I'm worried about you."

"Sirius, how many times have we gone over this?"

"Too many times, I should have gotten you to France by now."

There was a slight pause. "Maybe you should take Teddy." Remus said it quietly but Teddy heard all the same. He immediately sat up straighter, listening intently. Had his Father really said that?

"He's not going to want to go," said Sirius.

"I know that, but it's for the best."

Teddy stared at his doorway. No. He wasn't going to leave his Father, not after so long, not here. He wouldn't let him.

"How's Harry?" Remus asked as if to change the subject.

"Harry is fine…"

Teddy, now losing interest in the conversation, jumped off the end of his bed and went over to the small chest of draws in the corner. He slid open the bottom draw and pulled out a small box. Teddy opened it up and pulled out a small crinkled photo. A smiling witch looked back at him. She had bubble gum pink hair and a heart shaped face. She was stood outside of the three broomsticks, wearing a bright red coat which should have clashed with her hair but somehow didn't. Teddy would often stare at the photo, as if the longer he stared at it, the more he would suddenly know about the young witch.

But it never worked. If anything, Teddy just found himself realizing how much he didn't know his Mother, and that hurt.

Teddy put the photo back in the box, closing it with a rather loud snap and then shut the draw. He sighed heavily and went back to his bed, lying on his front, his head buried in his pillow. His Father had said good night to him several hours ago but he just couldn't get to sleep.

He'd tried sitting up in bed, counting goblins, even lying on the floor. But had given up in the end and had started to read his book. That's when the voices had drifted up stairs.

Uncle Padfoot often came to visit. Mainly to see Remus and try to convince him to go underground with everyone else who was a part of the resistance.

But Remus wouldn't budge, not without Dora.

A conversation continued downstairs but Teddy still ignored it. After a while he heard Sirius leave and some slight noises from downstairs. After another ten minutes, Remus then came up the stairs.

Teddy sat up on his bed, waiting for his Father to walk past the open door. Remus paused in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he looked in at his son. "Teddy, you were supposed to be asleep hours ago."

"I know…but I can't get to sleep. I've tried counting goblins and everything!" Teddy raised his arms in the air as if to make a point.

Remus walked into the room and sat down on the edge of his bed. He pointed to the book on Teddy's bedside, "if I read you one more chapter will you try extra hard to get to sleep?" Teddy nodded vigorously. "Okay," Remus picked up the book whilst Teddy shuffled over on his bed so Remus could sit next to him.

Remus sat down on the bed, his back resting against the headboard whilst he put his arm around Teddy and pulled him closer. "Where were we?" He asked whilst flicking through the book.

"Chapter twenty eight," Teddy replied, "We just got to the cloud men…"

"Oh yes, I remember." Remus started to read.

_One by one, the travelers came out again on to the top of the peach and gazed carefully around. The moon was still shining, as brightly as ever, and there were still plenty of huge shimmering cloud mountains on all sides. But there were no cloud-men in sight now…_

Remus read quietly to his son. Teddy always loved it when his Dad read to him, he did all the voices and everything and he was much better than Teddy. Teddy could never get very far.

He listened intently as the cloud-men came back and made a rainbow in the sky in a frenzy of painting. "Is that how rainbows are made Dad?" Teddy asked whilst wrinkling his nose as if trying to imagine thousands of cloud-men painting a massive arch in the sky and then lowering it down to the horizon.

"Must be," said Remus a slight smile playing on his lips. "I've never really given it much thought."

Remus continued to read, and after a short while he looked down to see Teddy had fallen fast asleep. Remus placed the book on the bedside table and then slowly lifted Teddy of him, tucking him back into bed. He lent down and kissed his son on the forehead, ruffling his light brown hair up fondly. Teddy, being a metamorphagus normally went for bright turquoise hair but whenever he slept he always went back to his more natural features…just like Dora…

Remus silently left the room, leaving the door open.

***[:]***

Nymphadora Tonks was in fact living and breathing at that same point. She had been a personal slave to the Malfoy's for four years now, and before that she'd been 'looked after` by her deranged aunt Bellatrix. Those had been the worst years of her life.

'looked after' was certainly an understatement and her aunt had often found it fun to randomly torture her whenever she felt like it. Or make her do the most horrendous things just for her fun. She had been a play toy, not a person.

But she had gotten away from Bellatrix. Narcissa Malfoy, her other aunt, had shown sympathy towards her. Not much, but some, and had taken her into her home. Life with the Malfoy's was hardly easy, despite it being a stark contrast to Bellatrix Lestrange. Well, she was in every way possible, their slave. They treated her like a house elf.

She was now lying on an old mattress that had kindly been donated to her, staring through a hole in the roof. The Malfoy's didn't agree with her sleeping under the same roof as them so she had to make do with a rather dilapidated shed that lay on the outskirts of the grounds to Malfoy mannor.

It was very run down and Tonks wouldn't have been surprised if the next time the wind blew the entire thing collapsed on top of her. There were several holes in the roof of the shed, all varying in sizes, but making it more inconvenient whenever it rained. She was staring through the one directly above her head, framing the moon; A tiny fingernail of white light. Tonks felt her eyes water as she stared up at the small planet, because whenever she saw the moon it made her think of him…

It had been six years. She'd been counting the days since she'd seen her husband, or heard a single word from him. And of course, whenever she thought of Remus she thought of her child. The small bundle of life with bright turquoise hair and hazel eyes; His father's eyes. And yet, Tonks didn't even know if he was alive.

When she'd been captured she'd been pregnant and had had the baby in captivity. Bellatrix had only spoken of killing him, especially with his Father being a Werewolf and his mother a blood traitor. What hope did he have?

Tonks had pleaded with her aunt, begged with her, but it had only seemed to add to her enjoyment at the time. And that was the first time Narcissa Malfoy had shown some compassion

***[:]***

_Tonks was sat up in a bed, cradling a small baby in her arms, staring down at the small bundle almost as if trying to commit every contour of her child's face to memory. She knew they would be coming soon. It would not be long until Bellatrix lost patience and stormed through that door. Her eyes filled up with tears and her grip tightened around her child. She would not let them have him. She would not let them lay a finger on him. _

_As this thought crossed her mind the door to the room she was in creaked open, almost eerily. Tonks braced herself in every way possible, knowing she would not give up without a fight. But was surprised to see Narcissa Malfoy sweep into the room, a green cloak wrapped around her. _

_She glanced at Tonks and then looked down at the baby in her arms. "Bellatrix will be here in five minutes." Narcissa said whilst walking over to the bed._

_Tonks shook her head, her arms holding her baby even closer, "She can't, she'll kill him!" Tonks croaked. _

_Narcissa glanced at Tonks again, her eyes dark and then turned to the door. "Bellatrix will never let you keep it," she said, her back still turned._

"_Please," Tonks begged. "You have a child Narcissa, you must understand."_

_At the mention of her child she turned around, facing Tonks once more. "How could I possibly help?" she questioned. "Your child is condemned," she looked out of the window, the sun was coming up and her normally dark blue eyes turned lighter._

_Tonks didn't know what she could do, she didn't see any way out of this situation and so she stared blankly at the wall opposite her, silent tears rolling down her face._

_It was Narcissa who broke the silence. "Where is the Father?" she asked._

_Tonks looked up at her aunt, her eyes widening slightly, what did she mean by that? Would she take the child to Remus?_

_Narcissa glanced at the door again and then took a deep breath. "I will take the child. It has no chance of living here. I will give him to the father."_

_Tonks wasn't sure if she was being serious or not, or if what she had just heard was actually real. "I…How…how can I trust you?" Tonks whispered._

"_Would you rather hand it over to Bellatrix?"_

"_No," said Tonks._

"_Tell me where the father is."_

"_I can't just tell you where he is…I mean…" she couldn't just betray Remus's whereabouts to the wife of a death eater._

"_You must have some way of contacting him."_

_Tonks paused, "Do you know where Kemberly is?" She asked._

"_No, but I could find out."_

"_There's a hill in the park. Go up the hill and at nine fire green sparks into the sky, he should come." _

_Narcissa nodded. "I will go tonight, pass me the child." Tonks didn't move. "Bellatrix will be here any minute now." _

"_Why are you doing this?" Tonks asked. Why would she help her?_

_Narcissa paused, "Your mother once helped me out, and seeming she is not with us any more I see this as the debt being repaid." Tonks watched her aunt carefully, being an Auror she had training in knowing when someone was lying or not; and her Aunt seemed genuine enough. That was when they heard a door slam down the corridor. "Hand me the child."_

_Tonks bent down to kiss her child on the forehead and whisper an 'I love you' and then handed him over to her Aunt. _

_Teddy Lupin slept throughout the entire interaction._

_***[:]***_

Tonks rolled onto her side, silent tears rolling down her cheeks, and she wondered if she would ever see her husband and child ever again. Or if Narcissa had ever been true to her word.

**Well there it is - hope you enjoyed it :D **

**I know it was a very long papragraph but i felt i had to get the explanation with Tonks in**

**I hope this fic isn't too confusing for anyone - and if you don't understand things just review me and i'll try and clarify**

**Thank you for reading this random piece of fiction and please feel free to review - feedback really makes my day :D**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the next chapter :D **

**I'm really glad you guys like it- even though it's a bit radical **

Chapter 2

Remus woke to someone shaking him awake. "Dad, get up." Remus merely rolled over, ignoring his son. "Dad," Teddy whined. "Dad I'm hungry and you've been asleep for hours."

"What's the time?" Remus mumbled.

Teddy looked around and saw his Dad's watch on the bedside table. He picked it up and attempted to read the funny dials. "Umm," said Teddy, "It's two…"

"I can't have been asleep that long Ted." Remus replied. He sat up and took his watch off his son. "It's ten past eight…" he frowned, "You might have gotten the hands mixed up a bit." He'd been trying to teach Teddy how to tell the time but he hadn't been so successful so far.

"…Right, can we get some breakfast now? …Please?" Teddy added the last bit almost as if he just remembered his manners.

Remus ran a hand through his hair, subconsciously messing it up. "Alright. Give me a minute, run downstairs and see what we've got."

Teddy left the room and went downstairs, still wearing his pajamas, and skipped into the kitchen. He opened the fridge. There wasn't much inside but there were a few eggs.

Remus then came down, "What have we got Ted?"

"Eggs," Ted replied. "And some mouldy cheese."

"Mouldy cheese?"

"It's gone a funny green colour." He picked the cheese up and handed it to his Dad.

"Yeah, that's not good," Remus looked down at the clearly mouldy cheese. "We can just scrape it off though."

Teddy scrunched up his nose, "that's horrible," he said. "I don't want mouldy cheese."

"Alright," said Remus a slight smile playing on his lips. He placed the cheese back into the fridge. "How about scrambled eggs on toast?"

"Yep," Teddy nodded his head vigorously. He went over to the kitchen table and sat down. "What was Uncle Padfoot doing here last night?" Teddy asked, swinging his legs back and forth.

"He just came in to check up on us, the usual." Remus got some bread out. "We're going to London later, there's a meeting."

Teddy looked up, suddenly looking very excited. "Will Harry be there?"

"Yes."

"And Ron, and all the Weasleys?"

"Yes, they'll all be there."

"Yes!" Teddy exclaimed, "When are we going?"

"Not till later Ted. And we'll be staying there for a few days so you're going to have to pack a bag."

Remus finished cooking and placed a plate in front of Teddy and then sat down next to him.

***[:]***

"Dad, you're so slow," Teddy whined. "C'mon, we have to go now."

"Wait a sec," Remus replied. He was waving his wand around whilst placing charms on the house. "Alright, let's go." The two left the house, Teddy wrapped in a coat with a beanie hat on to cover his bright turquoise hair. He also had a backpack on. Remus also wore a coat and had a bag slung over his shoulder.

Remus took his sons hand and they both walked down the street that led to their house. They soon reached a small alley that they used as an apparation point.

"Hold on tight Ted," Remus said whilst removing his wand from his jacket once more.

Teddy scrunched up his nose, "do we have to apparate?" He wined slightly.

"It's not that bad Ted," Remus reasoned, knowing his son's hate for side-long apparation. It was rougher than normal apparation he had to admit but it was the only way they would get to London.

"Couldn't we walk?" Teddy asked.

Remus couldn't help but smile slightly, "We could, but it would probably take us several weeks and we would miss the meeting."

"Oh," said Teddy, "is London far away then?"

Remus nodded, "I'll show you on a map sometime. Now, are you ready?" Teddy nodded, although he still looked rather reluctant. They then disappeared with a short crack, the alley once more becoming deserted.

Teddy shut his eyes instantly when he was roughly tugged at the naval and thrown left right and center. The only stabilization he felt was from his fathers hand on his shoulder, but it didn't stop the constant spinning.

Eventually it stopped and the two Lupin's arrived with a short pop in another back street on the outskirts of London.

It was raining here, the sort of rain that looked light but soaked everything almost instantly. It wasn't long until the two were drenched through. "Are we going on the Muggle transport?" Teddy asked as they left the back street.

"Yes."

Teddy smiled, he liked going on the underground trains, they were really fun.

London was a death eater hot spot since the Master had taken over and most of the apparation points were monitored. It would be madness to apparate into central London and not be stopped or questioned by Death Eaters. And when on your way to an order meeting it probably wasn't the best idea to test it. It was genuinely easier to go by Muggle transport, which wasn't monitored as much. Not many Wizards knew how to use the Underground, and those who did were probably not Death Eaters, who felt like they could do what they liked in this world.

They walked along a street filled with café's and small shops. They only people they met kept their heads bowed down against the rain and didn't pay them much attention.

It wasn't long until they reached an underground station. It was the one they always took, and both Remus and Teddy knew the way well. They made their way down the steps and into the tiled corridor. It was relatively quiet because it wasn't rush hour, there were only a few people milling about.

Remus headed straight over to a ticket machine whilst getting out his wallet. Like most wizards, he always carried Muggle money with him. It could always come in handy. He bought two return tickets and they headed over to the turnstile.

"Do you want to do it?" He asked his son whilst holding out the ticket.

Teddy smiled and nodded whilst taking the ticket, he stepped towards the turnstile and fed the ticket into the machine. He pushed the bar and stepped though, taking his ticket out of the other side. A huge smile spread across his face, "Can we go again?" he asked.

"When we get through the other side they'll be another one, okay." Remus smiled whilst directing his son towards the escalator down. Only Teddy would find a turnstile so amazing. Although he hoped he didn't turn out like Arthur Weasley, because that was bordering on obsessive.

They stepped onto the escalator, Teddy watching the floor as the steps formed below him. They slowly travelled down. "Why do we always stand on this side?" Teddy asked whilst turning and looking up at his father.

"Because if anyone wants to get to a train fast, they can run down the other side." Remus explained.

"Oh," Teddy replied and started to silently stare at all the adverts lining the walls as they travelled downwards.

Once they reached the bottom they turned off to the left, headed down a corridor. They passed several people. One in all black with gothic boots and purple spikey hair arranged in a Mohawk. Teddy couldn't help but stare at the individual.

"Dad?" he asked. "Can I wear my hair like that tomorrow."

Remus chuckled slightly, "You can do what you want, just make sure you don't poke anyone's eye out, or let Molly Weasley see you."

Teddy smiled, "She's always trying to get Bill to cut his hair off. Ron says he sleeps with a charm on his head in case she tries to cut it off when he's sleeping."

Remus laughed slightly at the idea of Molly creeping up on one of her children with a pair of scissors in hand. "I can imagine he does." The smile then slipped on Remus' face as they turned another corner. Something was not right. He wasn't sure what, he just knew that something was wrong. His senses were playing up and for once he cursed the fact the full moon was three weeks away. His senses were so much more tuned when it was closer. A breeze then swept through the tunnel they were walking along, ruffling their clothing and hair. That's when he smelt it, or more, him.

Remus put a hand on his son's shoulder, who looked up at him instantly. He knew from the look on his father's face that something was not right.

Remus glanced behind him. "Ted, we're probably being followed," he said. "Either that or it's just coincidence." Teddy nodded. "If anything happens you keep running and get on the train to Grimmauld."

"But…"

"No buts. Try and morph your features as well, look older, we don't want the muggles butting in because they've seen a six year old on their own, okay?"

Teddy merely nodded. "Okay, c'mon." The two started to run down the white tilled corridor. The sound of the trains echoing off the walls as they sped down it. Anyone who saw the two merely assumed they were in a hurry, and not that they were possibly running for their lives.

They turned down another corridor and ran down some steps onto a platform, however when they reached it there was no train. Remus cursed under his breath.

There was nobody else around, not even Muggles and Remus felt a sudden dread build up inside of him.

He stopped on the platform, Teddy looking up at him as if to say, "what now." He looked towards the stairs where they had just arrived. How far behind was he? Had he even clocked them? Should they just wait for the train? How far away was the train?

Remus looked down the dark tunnel, almost as if willing a train to arrive. That's when he heard the laughing. It was only really a light chuckle, but there was something highly sinister about it. Perhaps it was because he knew who was laughing.

Remus pulled out his wand and faced the stairs. A figure dressed in a cloak with the hood pulled up was slowly making his way down them. He had a wand in his right hand. "Teddy, get behind me," Remus mumbled. Teddy did so, his wary eyes watching the stranger closely.

The man reached the bottom of the stairs. "Well well well," he said. "I certainly wasn't expecting to run into you today. How are things going Lupin?"

Remus didn't answer, he merely kept his eyes glued onto the other man, his wand raised and ready.

"I haven't seen you since our last scrap. Do you remember that Lupin? Shame it turned out like it did really. Amazing she's still with us really. How long ago was it? Six years?

Remus's hand clenched around his wand. "What do you want Greyback?" Remus asked, unable to keep the anger from escaping his voice.

"Just thought we could catch up," He said, a large smile appearing on his face. His gaze then turned to Teddy. "I don't believe we've met," he said, the grin still apparent on his face.

Teddy shuffled further behind his father. "Didn't know you had a son Remus. Don't suppose he's one of us?"

"No."

"Interesting…although, that could be easily changed, couldn't it?" Fenrir grinned, his pointy yellow teeth showing.

Remus, unable to take the stalemate any longer, or Fenrir's taunting set of a spell. "Petrificus totallus!"

Fenrir blocked it whilst bringing his wand up. His smile vanished. "Getting a bit tetchy, aren't we?" He growled and sent a spell back.

Remus blocked it almost casually which seemed to annoy Fenrir even more so he set off a torrent of spells in a series of loud bangs and fizzes.

Teddy ducked when a blue crackling spell shot just past him and a duel broke out. Fenrir took cover behind the corridor that led to the platform on the other side and Remus pushed Teddy up against the wall where they ducked behind a vending machine.

Fenrir sent off a spell and it hit the vending machine with a loud bang, shredding the side of it and sending several packets of smarties off in several directions, scattering everywhere.

Remus ducked around the side of it and sent back several more spells, narrowly missing a sectusempra.

That's when the train arrived. It pulled up alongside the platform. "Teddy, get on the train, I'll cover for you."

"What?"

"Teddy just do it," said Remus whilst blocking a spell. He pushed Teddy towards the train whilst stepping out from behind the vending machine to block and attack with several spells. Teddy ran and jumped on the train, the two passengers that were in the carriage staring at the on-going battle and him. "Get to the house Teddy," Remus said and then pressed the button for the door, closing it.

The train then took off, Teddy pressed up against the window, watching his father battle it out with Greyback until the train plunged into a tunnel.

Several thoughts circled Teddy's head as the train rattled through the dark tunnel. Was his Dad going to be okay? Who was that man? Why didn't Remus come with him? Teddy went and sat down on one of the seats, the two Muggles in the carriage constantly giving him sidelong looks but not wanting to have anything to do with him.

Muggles would have to be very stupid to not know that something was not right in England. With the master in control the normal ministry regulations had gone out of the window. Most Muggles knew about magic, perhaps not all the details but enough to know it existed, and those who had something to do with it should be left alone, even if they were a six year old child.

Teddy pulled his feet up onto the seat, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. He still had to get to Grimmauld place, and what if more Death Eaters turned up? Teddy took a deep breath, it would be okay. His Dad would be fine, Sirius was always going on about all the tight scraps that they had gotten into, and they'd always been fine then, hadn't they? Except perhaps the night his mother had gotten captured…

The train pulled up at Southgate and the two Muggles got off, not saying a word to Teddy. So Teddy took the opportunity to morph his features and look older than he was, but he couldn't change his height much because of his clothes and Teddy hadn't entirely gotten the hang of his morphing abilities so much. He couldn't control it so well when his emotions were all over the place. He'd only just gotten the hang of changing his facial features to what he wanted a few weeks back. He'd been imitating as many people as he could.

Teddy sighed and stood up on his seat to look at the map of the line he was on. He knew he had to get off at Holborn. He counted the stops on it. Ten. Teddy sat back down on the seat and started to wonder if his Father could just be on the train behind him.

**Sorry i left it on a bit of a cliffhanger - but it does make the story more exciting :) **

**Please please review - i love any form of criticism :D**

**Millipher Steerus**


	3. Chapter 3

**Some new people in this chapter - YAY!**

**This is my longest chapter so far so i hope you enjoy it :D**

Chapter 3

Remus ducked as another confundus charm sailed over his head. Greyback and him had been locked in a continuous duel for at least ten minutes now. No one gaining the upper hand. Remus had a gash on his forehead from when the vending machine had exploded for a second time but other than he was uninjured. He sent back a diffindo and part of the tiled wall smashed away and he heard Greyback call out in pain.

Remus paused. The torrent of spells had seemingly stopped. Dust from the now shattered wall clouded his vision of Greyback though, and he didn't know how seriously hurt he was. He cautiously stepped forward into the debris and dust, bits of tile crunching under foot. He held his wand level, his eyes searching almost desperately for signs of life.

Some part of him was screaming at him that this was madness. He should turn back, flee now that he had the opportunity. But then there was the other part; the part that wanted Greyback, no, needed him. He couldn't get the words that he said earlier out of his head, 'Amazing that she's still with us, really.'

There was a sound to the left and Remus turned instantly, but it was only part of the wall crumbling away. He muttered an incantation and a slight breeze came along, blowing the dust away.

That's when he noticed the figure, lying on the floor between the pieces of debris. Remus slowly made his way over to him, not sure if he was out cold or was bluffing. He then noticed Greyback's wand lying a few feet away, which meant he was unarmed, even if awake.

Remus nudged the figure with his foot. Nothing happened. He crouched down in front of Fenrir and grabbed him by the collar whilst muttering "Rennervate."

The Werewolf came around to face a wand at his throat and a not so very happy looking Remus Lupin. "Where's Dora?" He asked.

***[:]***

Teddy had started to count all the seats in the carriage again when the tube train finally arrived at Holborn. There were more people in the carriage now. It had slowly been filling up as they got closer and closer to the city centre. Some had been giving Teddy odd glances every now and then, but none had approached him.

The train came to another lurching stop and the doors opened. Teddy stood up along with a few others and exited, following the crowd of people. He made his way through the maze of tunnels and up the escalator and was feeling proud of himself when he got through the turnstile when he was suddenly met with a Police officer.

It was a woman with a friendly enough looking face, but Teddy really wished she was somewhere else entirely. "Hello," she said with a friendly smile, which Teddy didn't retaliate. "You're a bit young to be travelling by yourself, aren't you?" She asked, a slight frown appearing on her face. "How old are you?"

Teddy just stared at her face whilst trying to work out a reasonable age. How old were Ron and Harry? "Twelve," he said, hoping she would now leave him alone.

However she didn't look very convinced.

"Are you with anyone?" she asked.

"Er…yes, my Uncle Sirius."

"And where is he?" She asked.

"He's…in the toilet." Teddy pointed over to the toilets he'd just spotted.

"You did come through the turnstile on your own though," she said, sounding as if she really didn't believe a word of Teddy's bull story. But to be fair, he wouldn't have believed it.

"That's because…he had to run ahead because he really had to go. He had to run up the right side of the escalator, even though you have to stand on the left _and_ he wasn't late for a train…"

The Officer nodded, "Well, could you go and get him for me? I'll wait outside."

Teddy nodded. He was so in it now, what could he do, ask some stranger to pretend to be his Uncle. Teddy entered the toilets and looked around. There weren't any windows or anything, so he couldn't get out that way. He sighed, he just wished he was someone else entirely at the moment. Someone who didn't have to worry about their Dad, or Death Eaters, or the Police Woman standing outside the toilets… And that's when he had an idea. He ran straight over to one of the cubicles and locked the door.

***[:]***

Fenrir just smiled up at Remus, a toothy grin showing all his yellow teeth, "Where's who?" He questioned.

Remus' grip tightened on Fenrir's collar. "Don't play games Fenrir," Remus growled, "Tell me where she is."

"Or what?" Fenrir questioned again. "Are you going to kill me Lupin?" The same toothy grin was still on his face. "Don't do anything you might regret…"

Remus didn't answer but merely pushed his wand further into Fenrir's neck, causing him to tilt his head slightly. "Where is she? Tell me now, or you'll regret it."

Fenrir chuckled slightly, "I don't think I will…if anything, I think you'll regret this…I found out quite a while ago that the best way to punish a father is with the child."

Remus' eyes flashed with anger.

***[:]***

Teddy removed his coat and stuffed it into his bag, along with his beanie hat. He then closed his eyes tight shut in concentration as he changed his appearance.

A boy with a bag slung over one shoulder left the cubicle with bright ginger hair and freckles. If with the Weasleys, Teddy Lupin would have easily passed for one of them. He then took a deep breath and left the toilets right behind another man also exiting.

Teddy walked straight past the Police Woman, she didn't even bat an eyelid at him and continued to silently wait for him. As soon as Teddy was out of her eyesight he ran straight up the stairs and out into the busy streets of London. The rain had gotten considerably worse since Teddy had last been outside, and now without his coat and hat on he quickly became soaked. The sun had set about ten minutes ago and all the streetlights were on, reflecting off the wet sheen on the pavements.

He continued to walk down the street, weaving in and out of the various people all rushing to one place or another. He was nearly bowled over by one man running past, but he managed to stay on his two feet and shoot the youth evils as he ran off down the street.

Teddy then branched of the main road and headed down a road lined with big fancy buildings. He stared up at one which seemed impossibly tall and wondered if giants had had to make it to get up that high.

A car then came speeding down the street and the front tyre successfully hit a puddle by the side of the road, completely soaking Teddy. Teddy stopped where he was briefly, his clothes clinging to him and his hair feeling like mud plastered to his head.

He then shook his head and continued to walk, it just generally wasn't his day. He soon reached a sort of park area. He quietly slipped through the gate and started to walk through it.

Teddy's heart started to race slightly as he silently walked through the park. There wasn't a lot of light here and the tree's appeared to loom over him, the rain pounding on the leaves constantly.

He kept turning around to check no-one was following him, but was always faced with nothing. He took a deep breath and then started to hum to himself, he was nearly there after all. If he was jumped upon he could probably scream his heart out and be heard by at least someone in Grimmauld.

Teddy started to pick up his pace, he could now see the row of houses that Grimmauld belonged to. There was then a sharp noise to his left and Teddy started to run. His feet pounding on the wet pavement and his bag swinging against his side.

He finally reached the end of the park and sprinted across the street to number 12 Grimmauld place, the building appearing as it normally did. Teddy ran up the steps and pounded on the dark green door.

***[:]***

Lily Potter was making her way down the stairs to Grimmauld place when she heard the banging on the front door. Immediately she walked over and unlatched the door, pulling it open. She stared down at the small boy with ginger hair and freckles who was completely soaked through. At first she was slightly confused. Who was this small boy? He looked just like a Weasley…but she knew all the Weasleys…and then it clicked.

"Teddy?" she questioned. The small boy nodded and his hair slowly changed back to it's normal turquoise colour. "Where's Remus?" she asked, a slight sense of dread building up inside her. She glanced down the street but she couldn't see anyone.

"He – he told me to get on the train." Teddy stuttuered.

Lily took a deep breath, "Alright, come in Teddy, you're soaked through."

Teddy stepped inside, the door closing behind him. He was shaking from the rain and the cold. Lily immediately got out her wand and cast a quick drying spell. She bent down in front of him. "Are you alright Teddy?" She asked, her hands on his shoulders. Teddy merely nodded. "How many of them were there?" Lily asked.

"Just one," Teddy replied. He looked into Lily's green eyes, "Why didn't he come with me?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Lily rubbed his arm, "It's okay Teddy. He's going to be alright. C'mon, lets go into the kitchen, yeah. I'll make you a hot chocolate." She took his hand and led him downstairs and into the kitchen.

Teddy sat down at the table, dumping his bag on top of it. He started to trace the various grains of wood in the table with his finger.

Lily started to make a hot chocolate, getting out a big mug from one of the cupboards. "Teddy," she said. "I take it you ran into a death eater?" She asked. Teddy nodded. "Do you know who it was?"

"Dad called him Greyback," Teddy replied. Lily suddenly looked concerned, and it didn't go unnoticed by Teddy. "…Did Dad stay because of…Mum?" Teddy mumbled, staring down at the table.

Lily took a deep breath. "Yes, he probably did Ted. Greyback was one of the Death Eaters that was there when…" Lily trailed off. She turned back to making the hot chocolate, pouring it into the mug. "Where did Greyback turn up Teddy?" She asked, "Where are they?"

"We were in the Muggle underground train station." Said Teddy.

"Do you know what station?"

"Ummm….it was Oakwood. We were on the platform."

Lily placed the now made hot chocolate in front of Teddy. "Stay here, alright Ted?" He nodded and Lily left the room, headed upstairs to find her husband.

Lily found James and Sirius in the library, James was jumping around in victory because he'd beaten Sirius again at Wizards chess. "Yes!" he yelled. "I'm on a roll today, I reckon I could even beat Moony!"

Sirius merely rolled his eyes, "you just got lucky, you would never be able to beat Moony. Not in a million years."

"You just wait until he gets here," James exclaimed, "I will so defeat him, you bet."

"How much," Sirius raised an eyebrow.

Lily, realizing they weren't paying attention to her, or weren't planning on paying any attention to her decided to step in. "You aren't going to be able to defeat Remus at Wizarding chess if he never turns up." She said.

James turned to his wife and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Lily explained everything to the two friends. Once she'd finished both of them looked slightly gobsmacked.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" James asked.

" 'course he will," said Sirius, "this is Moony we're talking about, right?"

"I'm sure Moony can deal with Greyback," said Lily, "But whether he'll be able to control himself…"

"You think we should go find him," said James, "before he does something he'll regret."

Lily nodded. "You know Remus, he would almost certainly do anything to find out where Tonks is."

***[:]***

Remus dragged Fenrir up by the collar and pushed him up against the wall. "If you lay one finger on my Son I swear I will kill you," he hissed.

"Is that a threat Lupin?" Fenrir chuckled slightly.

Remus then punched him in the face, his head rebounding off the wall. "You were there that night." Remus said. "You were with Bellatrix when she took Dora, where did she take her?"

Fenrir laughed slightly, "You think, that at the hands of Bellatrix, she would still be alive."

"You said yourself earlier that it was amazing she was still alive, you know something." Fenrir laughed, "like I would tell you," he said. There was then a loud bang and Remus went flying across the platform, landing awkwardly on his side. He only just managed to keep a hold of his wand. He quickly scrambled up to find Greyback facing him at the other end of the platform with a different wand in his hand.

"I would have thought," Greyback called across to him, "that you of all people would have known not to cross me. You'll pay for this Lupin." He then span on the spot and disappeared with a crack.

Remus stared blankly at the spot where Fenrir had been standing a few moments ago. He'd done it again. He'd fucked up. Remus punched the floor with his hand, ignoring the pain that it caused. Not only did he still not know where Dora was, he'd potentially put Teddy In a lot of danger.

He stood up and went over to the highly dilapidated vending machine and then kicked it. His foot screamed in protest but he didn't care much. If anything it made him more angry and he took another swinging kick at it.

There were then two sharp cracks and Remus turned to see his two best friends, wands at the ready. They took one look at the destroyed platform and Remus standing in the middle of it and lowered their wands.

"Are you alright Rem?" James asked when seeing the state his friend was in.

Remus merely nodded, "He's gone," he said. He took a deep breath and sighed. "I let him get away."

Sirius and James walked over to him, "It's alright mate," said Sirius. "I doubt that he would have told you willingly where she was anyway."

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Is Teddy alright?" He asked.

"He's fine," said James, "He's sat in the kitchen with a large mug of hot chocolate."

A train then came rattling to a halt next to the platform. "C'mon," said Sirius, "let's get back to the house. Before more of them turn up."

***[:]***

Teddy had finished his hot chocolate and was now sat at the table along with Ginny, Fred, and George. Fred and George were, as per usual, up to no good, and were having an animated whispered talk in the corner of the room.

Ginny was talking to Teddy, although his mind was mostly else where, however hard he tried to concentrate.

Fred and George then joined in, "Ted," said George…or possibly Fred. "Do you know if the Marauders did actually cover the entire fifth floor in jelly?"

"Ummm…" Said Ted, "I'm not sure if that was them…they did trap several Slitherines in a wall of jelly once. Padfoot told me it was strawberry flavoured."

The twins laughed, "They're too good," said one of the twins.

"I wonder how they did it?" Another questioned.

"I know," said the other, "They might have…" and they broke into another animated whispering fest.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I'd watch where you go now," you might wake up in a wall of jelly," she said to Teddy.

Teddy just smiled back, "sounds like fun," do you think I'll be allowed to eat my way out?"

Ginny laughed slightly. "Knowing Fred and George, they'll probably be too much jelly to even think of possibly consuming it. They don't tend to do things on small scales."

"Maybe they could make it chocolate and not jelly," said Teddy. "That would be awesome! We could turn the entire house into chocolate."

Teddy was about to ask Fred and George if they could consider making it chocolate and not jelly but at that point two people came in. He looked up to see Harry and Ron.

Ginny stood up immediately, and Teddy frowned slightly when he thought he saw a blush across her face. "Well, I'm going up stairs," she sort of squeaked and disappeared from the kitchen.

"Hey, Teddy," said Harry, "I think your Dad's just got back," he said whilst gesturing to the door.

"Really," said Teddy whilst standing up.

"Yeah," said Ron, "you best get up there fast mate. I think Mum's letting off at him."

Teddy leapt up and left the kitchen, taking the steps two at a time. When he reached the top he heard voices that he recognized.

"Molly, please stop fussing, I'm fine. It's just a cut." That was his Dad. Was he injured then?

"Someone has to worry about you Remus," Molly replied.

Teddy rounded the corner and saw the four adults crowding the corridor. His Dad had a gash on his forehead and was covered in what could only be described as brick dust. Molly was standing in front of him, hands on hips, with a look that could only belong to her.

James and Sirius were just standing in the background, almost as if using Remus as a shield against Molly.

"Dad," said Teddy. Remus looked up almost instantly. "Are you alright?" Teddy asked, slowly walking towards him.

"I'm fine Ted," He replied. Teddy ran straight over to him and hugged him. Remus stumbled back slightly with the force but he soon found his footing and then he then hugged his son back. "I'm sorry Ted," he murmured.

**And that's all for this chapter folks -please feel free to press that blue button just there and review - they really do inspire me to write quicker :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just wanted to say thank you to every one who has reviewed - it really does inspire me to carry on :) And a many thanks to HORRORheart who's reviewed every chapter! round of applause for them :D**

**Decided it was time to see how Tonks was faring :D **

**hope you like this chapter**

**Chapter 4**

Tonks was cleaning the dinning room of the Malfoy's. It was a large room, with a long wooden table running the length of it. She had been set with the task of cleaning and making the table. It appeared that the Malfoy's were to have guests later. Tonks sighed as she went over to the cabinet at the end of the table and removed the various pieces of expensive silver. She had always hated house chores.

She started to set places when she realized she didn't know how many people were actually going to turn up. There was then a small pop and Tonks turned to see Dobby the house elf carrying several pieces of candelabra.

"Hello Dobby," Tonks said to the elf.

Dobby glanced around the room first before answering, "hello," he squeaked in reply.

Tonks turned back to the table, "Do you know how many people are coming?" she asked. "I don't know how many spaces to set."

"Eight," Dobby replied.

Tonks raised her eyebrows, "Quite a doo then. What's the occasion?"

Once more Dobby glanced around the room, almost as if he was terrified that they were being watched, even when it was obvious no one else was around. "I believe they're celebrating the fact that young master Malfoy got his acceptance letter to Hogwarts."

"Oh," Tonks replied. She shook her head. That would mean that Harry and Ron would be old enough to get their letters of acceptance. But like they would ever receive them. She was pretty sure enemies of the state would not be allowed into Hogwarts, regardless of their magical powers. Tonks sighed, "I'm missing everything stuck here," she said. Probably more to herself than Dobby.

Dobby used magic to light the various candles he'd placed all over the table with a snap of his fingers. "Do you know who's coming Dobby?" Tonks asked whilst glancing his way. Hoping against hope that her estranged aunt would not be attending.

Dobby, almost reading her mind replied with, "Bellatrix won't be able to make it."

Tonks breathed a short sigh of relief. "That's good news."

They both finished decorating the table, and when they were finished the sun had gone down and the normally dark and gloomy room looked even darker and gloomier than usual, Especially with the floating chandelier's.

"It looks like Dracula's den," Tonks muttered to herself when leaving the room.

She then made her way to Lucius' study where she promptly knocked on the door. "Yes," he replied, in a way that suggested he knew it was her.

Tonks opened the door and stepped inside. She bowed to Lucius, whilst imagining what fun it would be to throw him out of the window. "I've set the table Master," she said.

"Very well," he replied without even facing her. "You'll help out Dobby later in the kitchens and serve our guests. I've left some appropriate clothing for you in your…shed…" Tonks groaned to herself.

"Thank you," she said although even a squirrel could have probably heard the sarcasm lacing her voice. She then left the room before Lucius could even call her back and possibly punish her for her 'insolent tone.'

Tonks made her way down stairs and out into the garden towards her 'home.' She opened the door and collapsed on the camp bed in the corner, staring at the dress draped over the chair in the corner.

"No way," she mumbled to herself. She stood up and picked up the dress, staring at the material, or perhaps the lack of. It was a tight black dress that was way too short to be appropriate, and had a much too low neck-line.

"What's wrong with jeans and a tank top?" she questioned. She sighed heavily and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "How pissed do you think Lucius would be if I took a pair of scissors to it?" She asked out loud to no one in particular.

***[:]***

Tonks sighed heavily for what must have been the three hundredth time that day. She was, greatly against her will, wearing the black dress and was, also against her will, holding a silver tray with appetizers on it whilst weaving in and out between the guests.

It was like she was stuck in some weird dream, no, nightmare. She'd counted the amount of Death Eaters present and it was sort of mind blowing. There was Rodolfus, Dolohov, Rabasta, Greyback and…Wormtail. Whenever Tonks got the opportunity she bored evils into the back of his head because of the betrayer he was. Because of him, many innocent people had died, and that had nearly included Lily, James and young Harry.

And then there was Greyback, he looked like he'd gotten into a scrap recently, and Tonks found herself thanking whoever had given him a black eye. But Tonks wasn't just noticing him because of his new facial accessories. He also appeared to be staring at her twenty four seven. Whenever Tonks turned around she knew that Fenrir was looking her way, and it was highly unsettling. She felt like walking up to him, bringing the silver tray down on his head and yelling 'what is your problem!' at him.

Tonks smiled to herself at this mental image she had just conjured up for herself. However, her smile faltered when she realized that Greyback was making his was straight over to her. He stopped right in front of her, a grin plastered to his face. "Hello." He said.

Tonks just stared back in a very unfriendly way. She had specific instructions not to talk to any of the guests. That didn't mean she couldn't stare them down disapprovingly. Fenrir took some of the various appetizers and stuffed them into his mouth. He nodded as if approving, "nice grub," he said. "Did you make this?" Tonks still didn't answer. "Ah, not allowed to talk, are we?"

Tonks could think of a lot of things she could say at this point but seeming that Lucius was in hearing distance, it was wise not to voice them out loud. Instead she pushed past Greyback and continued to circle the room, tray in hand.

Finally Tonks was allowed to leave the room as the guests took their places. She disappeared into the kitchen where she sat down at the table. Dobby would be taking their various courses through. The Malfoy's had learnt a while ago that Tonks was probably one of the clumsiest people on the planet and it was not a good idea to trust her with plates of food. For once she was thankful for her two left feet. Actually, it wasn't the first time she'd found herself thanking her inability to keep her balance.

She thought back to her love/hate relationship with the dreaded umbrella stand troll foot. Although, as much as she hated the fact she tripped up on it practically every time she entered Grimmauld place, she had always loved the fact that once she'd tripped up, Remus would be there to catch her. However embarrassing the situation was at first she'd come to love the fact he was always there to catch her.

Tonks rubbed her eyes; it was never a good idea to think of the past. Practically everything reminded her of her past life and it was painful. She took a deep breath and decided to occupy her mind with something else. She started to eat some of the untouched appetizers of the tray she had been carrying.

Tonks wasn't exactly starved at the Malfoy's. They did feed her. But it was never anything nice. When was the last time Tonks had had some bertie botts every flavour beans? Or even chocolate…? Oh damn, she'd done it again, she was thinking of him…

Tonks angrily stuffed a salmon appetizer into her mouth and walked over to the window. What would she give to get out of here? She stared out into the darkness and could just make out the gate surrounding the grounds of Malfoy manor. She had tried several times to escape but to no avail, all she received was a few cruciatus curses.

It was nigh on impossible to cross the gate, or the wall that circled the grounds. The amount of spells and jinxes that surrounded it would probably stop an unwanted bumble bee from getting in. It was probably as well protected at Hogwarts. The only way in or out was through that gate...

There was then a pop and Dobby appeared in the kitchen. "Hello Tonks," he said. This time without checking the room for any unwanted listeners. The Malfoy's never came down into the kitchen.

"Hi Dobby. How's the party up stairs?" Tonks asked whilst leaning against a counter.

"It sounds pretty boring," the elf replied. Tonks snickered slightly, "They're all talking about how many mudbloods they caught this week."

Tonk's features fell; her Dad had been a so-called Mudblood. Right up until the point where he'd been caught by Rodulfus Lestrange and killed. "It's not right," she muttered.

Dobby shook his head, his ears flapping, "Dobby agrees, too many innocent people have died already. Dobby does not like what his Master and Mistress do."

Tonks half smiled, "Many people don't agree with it Dobby."

"Like your friends," said Dobby.

"Yeah, just like my friends." Tonks had told Dobby all about the people in the Order. Of course nothing incriminating which might be passed on to Lucius, because as much as Tonks liked Dobby, he was the Malfoy's slave and had to follow their bidding. Even if that meant telling them what he knew about the Order.

No, she only told Dobby about her friends in the Order and…Remus. Dobby had been the only person to talk to in this hellhole. "I have to get out of here Dobby," she said.

Dobby looked up at her with his saucepan eyes, "You can't leave without help," he squeaked slightly, "Master will catch you."

Tonks turned to Dobby, "Help would be appreciated."

"Dobby can't Miss Tonks!" His big eyes filled with fear at the thought. "Master would kill Dobby, Dobby would have to punish himself greatly." Tonks knew it was useless to ask Dobby to help her to escape. How many times had she asked him now? Must be over a hundred.

There was then a ringing and Dobby vanished with a pop again, he had been summoned.

Tonks sighed and continued to stare blankly out of the window.

It wasn't long until Dobby came back, "Master requests you serve drinks Miss," said Dobby.

Tonks rolled her eyes, not again. Dobby gave her a new tray with champagne glasses on it. She took it and regretfully made her way up stairs.

The guests were now in the front room, and Tonks got a certain sense of déjà vu as she weaved in and out of the crowd of people, handing them drinks. She was almost ecstatic when the tray became empty and she was able to leave the room. She opened the door and left the room, silently slipping away, wanting to get back down to the kitchen as soon as possible. However half way down the corridor she heard someone following her and turned to see the last person on this planet she wanted to see right then. Fenrir Greyback. He was smiling again. That sort of crooked creepy smile that sent a shiver down her spine. What on earth did he want?

"Where are you going?" He asked. "Oh I forgot, you can't talk."

Tonks stared back at Greyback, "I wanted to get as far away from you lot as possible," she replied. Not really caring if she was allowed to communicate with him or not.

"Oh, so she does talk," he said whilst raising an eyebrow. He stepped closer to her, "Funny, last time I was here, you were with Bellatrix?" He cocked his head to the side, "What happened?"

"Why would you be so interested?" Tonks asked.

Fenrir chuckled slightly, "no real reason," he said, stepping closer to her. Tonks had the sudden urge to step away but decided to stand her ground; she didn't want to look intimidated. "You are a pretty little thing, aren't you," he said, whilst lifting up a hand to her face. Tonks immediately shied away but Greyback seemed unfazed by it. "I can now see what he sees in you…probably why he wants you back so desperately."

Tonks stared back at him, was he talking about Remus? "Have you seen him?" she asked, Once again talking before thinking through what she was going to say.

Greybacks smile grey wider, "Why would you be so interested?" He mimicked her words from earlier. Tonks scowled at him. He laughed slightly, "I'm sure he wished he hadn't run into me right now…" he said. "Nobody crosses me and doesn't regret it…"

Greyback then grabbed Tonk's arm and twisted it behind her back, pushing her up against the wall. The metal tray she'd been carrying clattered to the floor. "Where can I find him?" He growled, his grip tightening on her arm.

Tonks didn't answer though; she kept her jaw clenched in an attempt to not cry out from the now throbbing pain in her arm. However, this only caused Fenrir to tighten his grip on her wrist and twist it harder. Tonks hissed slightly in pain. "It's quite simple really," he said, "all you have to do is tell me where I could find Remus…or his little brat…"

Tonks stared at the wall, "What?" she said.

However Greyback ignored her question and merely slammed her into the wall again. "It's not like you owe any loyalty to him, is it?" His face was centimeters away from her ear. "How long have you been stuck here, hmm? Six years is it? And has he tried to rescue you? Hasn't been doing too well has he?"

Tonks smiled to herself, "I thought you said earlier that he was desperate to get me back? Besides, even if he didn't, I would never give him up to you."

"Shame," said Greyback and twisted her arm further up her back. Tonks couldn't help but cry out this time, the pain was overwhelming and Greyback didn't stop. He continued to push her arm further up her back. Tonks pressed her forehead against the wall and shut her eyes tight shut.

There was then a loud resounding crack and Tonks screamed out in pain as her arm was broken. "Maybe next time," Greyback breathed into her ear, "you'll think about it more next time I ask." He then let go of her and she sank to her knees. Tonks painfully removed her arm from around her back and then cradled it. She turned to see Fenrir Greyback disappearing back into the front room.

This wasn't good news. Fenrir had said something about next time he asked…that meant he hadn't given up on her yet, despite her stubborn answer. But that wasn't what Tonks was overly concerned with at the moment. She couldn't stop thinking about what Greyback had said… "…where I could find Remus…or his little brat…" And Tonks hoped so much that she hadn't misheard or misunderstood. She hoped it with all her heart.

***[:]***

"Snap!" Teddy yelled. He'd been playing a giant exploding snap game with Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny for ten minutes now and the pack had still not exploded.

"That wasn't a snap!" Ron protested and then looked at the last two cards, both two's. "Okay," he muttered, "maybe it was." Teddy stuck his tongue out at him.

Ginny shook her head, "Just because you suck at this game Ron."

Fred and George chuckled slightly, "I don't think Ron likes losing to a six year old," said one of them.

The tips of Ron's ears started to turn bright red, "Am not," he said, "you two aren't exactly doing brilliantly, are you?"

Fred and George shrugged and Ron looked pretty smug until Harry placed a card down and George slammed his hand down to yell "snap."

"I think," said Fred, "I'll take a leaf out of Teddy's book," and he stuck his tongue out at Ron, who scowled considerably.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, "It's only a game Ron," he said to his best friend, but he didn't seem that comforted by it.

They continued to play until Harry yelled snap and the cards blew up in his face. He was instantly covered in black soot and his hair became, rather miraculously, even more messed up from the force of the mini explosion.

Everyone burst into hysterics. Teddy was laughing so much he fell of his seat, which seemed to make people laugh even more. Including Harry who had had to remove his glasses because of the layer of soot covering them.

Once everyone had finished their laughing fit Harry stood up and announced that he was going to find someone with a wand that could make it possible for him to see out his glasses again. "I'll come with you," said Ron whilst standing up and following Harry out of the room.

Teddy turned to Fred and George, "another game?" He asked.

"Sorry Ted," said George.

"But we have important stuff to be getting on with," ended Fred.

"and-" said George.

"-we don't want our hair-"

"-Turning out like that-" They also both left the room.

Teddy stared blankly after the two twins, "how do they do that?" He asked turning to Ginny.

"I have no idea," she said, "It's Fred and George, what more of an explanation do you need?" Teddy shrugged. "I'll play another game with you if you want Ted," she said, and he grinned from ear to ear.

**The snap game does seem a bit random now that i've read over it - oh well - i wanted to lighten the mood after the whole Greyback incident. And it will carry on next chapter. :D**

**Please read and review because it really does make my day :) **

**I was asked how old all the kids are in this as well - and if you didn't pick up on it this chapter Harry and Ron have just turned eleven and would be attending Hogwarts if Voldemort didn't rule. The age gap between everyone else hasn't changed from JK's version either - i hope that helps :)**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Really sorry it's been a while but i've had tons of coursework to complete :(**

**It's half term now though so that means more time to write fanfics :D**

**I loved writing this chapter by the way - i hope you guys enjoy it - it's a bit light hearted after the last one :)**

Chapter 5

Remus Lupin was sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld place. The Order meeting had ended half an hour ago and most people had gone home. Once again it had been a pretty unproductive meeting, the only remotely interesting fact that had been mentioned was that Greyback had returned to England from his Werewolf gathering in the Far East; which funnily enough, Remus already knew.

The only remaining people in the kitchen were Sirius, James, Lily, Molly and himself. He was pretending to be listening to James' and Sirius' conversation on Quidditch but truthfully couldn't care less on whether the Holyhead Harpies had a chance winning the county cup.

"Kill me now," said Lily whilst dropping down into a seat next to Remus, "I swear to Merlin they have had this conversation five times now."

Remus smiled, "What's wrong with Quidditch?" He questioned.

"There's nothing wrong with Quidditch," said Lily. "More the way my Husband and his best friend continually go on about it."

"Yes, it is bordering on obsessive."

"Bordering is a serious understatement."

"We do know you're talking about us," Sirius chipped in.

"And I would like to point out that we are not obsessed," added James.

"Says the man that had Quidditch wallpaper in his bedroom until the age of nineteen," said Remus to James.

Sirius started to laugh but when he received an elbow in the ribs, promptly stopped. "Yeah but that doesn't mean that he's obsessed." He tried to fight his friend's case. "It just means his parents hated decorating."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Because at the age of nineteen James didn't have the intellect to change the wallpaper in his room."

"Actually," butted in James, "I did, because that was when I changed it."

"No it wasn't," said Remus, "that was when you moved out to live in the flat with us. In fact I imagine that if your parents house still stood your room would still have the same wallpaper up."

"No it wouldn't," said Sirius.

Remus opened his mouth to retaliate, but then thought better of it; he could see exactly where this was going.

It was then that the kitchen door opened and Teddy came in, looking considerably different to what he'd looked like when he'd left. He was now covered in black soot and his hair was sticking up in a way that suggested he'd been involved in some explosion. He walked over to the table. "I'm liking the new look Teddy," said Sirius, "come up with that one by yourself?"

"Nooo," said Teddy, "it's not a look, it was from exploding snap, "Dad," he turned to Remus "can you get rid of this," he gestured to his face.

Remus smiled, "I'm with Sirius I think it really suits you."

"Daaad," Teddy wined, "Please, I tried morphing but it's still there."

"Okay, come here." Teddy walked over whilst Remus got out his wand. He waved it and the black soot vanished and his hair went normal.

"Thank you," said Teddy and then climbed up onto his fathers lap, facing everyone. "When are we eating?" he asked.

Molly turned away from the stove where she had been busily preparing dinner and said, "Should be ready in fifteen minutes dear."

Teddy turned to face Remus, "What are we having?" He whispered.

"I don't know," Remus whispered back, "Is there a reason we are whispering?"

Teddy paused as if thinking, "…I don't know…" he whispered back.

Sirius leant across the table and whispered to Teddy, "We're having spaghetti bolognaise."

Teddy also leant across the table, "is there garlic bread?" He asked.

Sirius held up a hand as if to say wait, and leaned on the two back chair legs to have a look at what Molly was cooking. He spotted some bread looking object in the oven. He came back down onto the four legs of his chair and leaned across the table, "looks like garlic bread but it could be some mysterious object," he whispered to Teddy.

Teddy looked slightly puzzled, "what does it look like?"

James then leant across the table and joined the conversation. "Is there a reason why we are whispering?" He asked also in hushed tones.

"Yes," Sirius muttered, "We don't want to be heard."

Lily leant forward, "Everyone in this room can hear you."

"I don't think Molly can," Remus whispered.

"Yes I can," she called from the stove in a normal voice. "Ears like a hawk, I have."

Teddy frowned, "Hawks don't have ears," he whispered. James started laughing.

"Well," said Lily normally, "they don't have human ears, but they can hear."

"Lily," said James in a whispered outrage, "you aren't whispering!"

"Sorry," she replied quietly.

"It looks like bread," Sirius muttered.

"Why don't we just ask Molly?" Remus questioned in a whisper.

James sat up and turned to Molly, "Molly? Is there any Garlic bread?"

"Yes, there's plenty for everyone."

"Yay!" Teddy then yelled whilst lifting his hands up in the air and narrowly missing Remus' head. James started to laugh at the fact Remus had nearly gotten a black eye.

"Put it there," said Sirius whilst lifting up his hand, and Teddy gave him a high five.

"Can we talk normally now?" Teddy asked.

James shrugged, "I think so?"

Lily shook her head. "You would have thought you lot would have grown out of it by now?"

"Yes, but would you love us otherwise?" Sirius questioned.

"Well…"she said, "I'm not sure about you…"

Sirius looked extremely offended. "That's just favoritism, everyone loves me." He turned to face James, "you love me, don't you Prongs?"

"Yeah."

"And you Moony, you love me, don't you?"

"Yeah, except on the rare occasions that you can be the most annoying adult on this planet."

Sirius paused as if thinking and then said, "he still said he loved me."

"Food's ready!" Molly Weasley then called, "Teddy, could you go and find the others?"

"Yep," Teddy leapt off Remus' lap and ran up the stairs whilst yelling "Food's ready!"

Teddy found Ron and Harry in the library but couldn't find the others. "They're all in their rooms," said Ron.

So Teddy ran up another flight of stairs and banged on everyones door, "Foods ready!" He called. Ginny came out her room and skipped down stairs whilst announcing she was starved.

Fred and George also poked their heads around their doors and said "We'll be down in a sec."

Bill then emerged from his room along with Charlie and they both made their way downstairs. "I think Percy is asleep," Charlie told Teddy whilst descending the stairs.

Teddy sighed and walked all the way along the corridor until he reached Percy's room with a large 'do not disturb' sign on the front.

"Percy!" Teddy yelled whilst banging on the door. "The food is ready!" But there was no answer. He pressed his ear against the doorframe and listened. He could definitely hear something that sounded just like snoring.

"Ted!" He turned to see Fred and George making their way down the corridor, "We'll deal with this one, you go get some food." They had their trademark Fred and George grins on.

"Okay," Teddy replied and ran for the stairs. At this rate, there was going to be no garlic bread left!

"Save us some seats," Fred called after him.

"Will do…"

Teddy entered the kitchen to find it packed with people. Molly was trying in vain to get everyone to sit down whilst attempting to hand out bowls.

"Where's Fred, George and Percy?" Lily asked Teddy through the chaos.

"Fred and George are waking Percy up," he called back.

Everyone seemed to pause when hearing this piece of information and several heads turned towards the stairs. Everyone knew that Fred and George had a different perspective on everything, especially when it came to waking someone up. Especially if that someone was Percy.

There was then a very loud bang, making the house shake slightly, and a yell of fright.

"I think," said James, "Percy has just woken up."

***[:]***

Lily Potter wasn't stupid. She could always tell when something was wrong.

Everyone had finished eating a few hours ago, and once again only a few people were sat at the kitchen table.

James and Sirius were talking about the unusual vampire movements in Germany. Molly was sat at the table knitting another one of her famous Weasley jumpers. And the kids were up to something that they probably shouldn't be doing. There was then a loud thud up stairs and a few giggles preceded it. But that wasn't what was bothering Lily, no, it was Remus Lupin that was. He'd retreated to the far corner and was reading a book. There was nothing unusual about this, Remus could always be found reading in some corner. It was more the fact that he hadn't turned the page for over half an hour.

Lily grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. "Are you alright Remus?" She asked.

He looked up from his book, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Page fifty three must be really good," she said whilst pointing down at his book. "You haven't turned it over for about half an hour."

Remus half smiled, "you're more observant than Molly, it's quite annoying."

Lily smiled back, "What's up Rem?"

He stared down at his page again, "Just thinking," he replied.

"About what?"

"…Dora," he muttered.

Lily smiled comfortingly, "If what Greyback said earlier was true, I'm sure we'll see her again." She said. Remus had told James, Sirius and Lily what had happened on the train platform.

Remus merely nodded, "I could know where she is right now though Lily."

"Could you?" Lily questioned.

"Greyback was right in front of me, he knew where Dora was and I let him get away."

"You weren't to know that he had a second wand Remus," Lily reasoned. "And how would you have made him tell you?"

Remus didn't answer, he merely stared at the book in his hands.

"You're better than that…" said Lily, and stood up, leaving him alone once more.

***[:]***

Tonks stood up slowly, her arm cradled to her chest. She shut her eyes temporarily as a wave of pain coursed through her. She took a deep breath and picked up the silver tray she had dropped earlier.

The door to the front room then opened and the guests started to pile out. Lucius was the first to leave, a smile on his face. He glanced down the corridor, his eyes meeting Tonks', and his smile fell considerably. The rest of the party then came out, and they also gave Tonks the same furtive glance, most ignoring her, except Greyback, who smirked.

Dobby was the last out, carrying a tray of glasses. Lucius turned to the elf, "Go and get people's coats," he glanced at Tonks again with that same look of malcontent. "And then help Nymphadora…" he added. "She won't be of much use with a broken arm." Several guests laughed at this statement.

"Yes Master," Dobby squeaked and disappeared with a light pop. The party then left, the hoard of death eaters headed towards the door.

Tonks silently left the corridor. She pushed the back door open and slipped out into the night. She was sick of death-eaters, sick of this world, sick of this life. She had to get out or she knew she would resort to drastic measures.

She entered the small shed and sat down on her makeshift bed. How much did she wish she had a wand at the moment? Anything to stop the constant throbbing in her arm. Or anything to get out of this ridiculous outfit.

Greyback's words were still swimming around her head continuously. Remus was still alive…he was still looking for her…and their son was with him…

There was then a crack as Dobby appeared. "Are you alright?" Dobby asked, his big eyes filled with concern.

He walked towards her and swiftly used magic to heal her broken arm. "Thank you Dobby," she muttered.

Dobby smiled but it wasn't overly reassuring. "Master said Dobby was allowed to help Tonks. Dobby will always be willing to help his friend."

Tonks smiled, he was so sweet, and he was her only friend here. And she did appreciate his help, even if he couldn't help her in most ways. And then it dawned on her…

"Dobby. You know if you really wanted to help me, you would get me out of here."

Dobby's concerned look turned to a look of shock and horror. "But Tonks, Dobby can't…"

"What did Lucius ask you to do?" Tonks said, watching Dobby closely.

"He said…that Dobby was to go and get people's coats…and help Tonks…" Dobby muttered.

"He didn't exactly specify on how to help me? Did he?" Tonks asked, hoping somehow she could get through to the elf.

"No," he squeaked quietly.

"So what's to say that he didn't mean you were to try and get me out of this hell hole?"

Dobby's eyes widened slightly, "I…suppose…" He looked like he was thoroughly confused. "Master did say that Dobby was to help Tonks, and Dobby wants to help Tonks…but what if Master didn't mean that…?"

"Dobby, please?"

**Dun dun dun...**

**Is Dobby going to help her? I guess you're just going to have to wait for the next instalment :) **

**Please review, they really do inspire me to carry on :D**

**Millipher Steerus x**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

There was another thud and a squeal of laughter from upstairs. Lily Potter sighed as she glanced up at the ceiling, "I think we should round the kids up, it's quarter past ten."

"I'll get the nets," said Sirius whist standing up.

"I'll get the cages ready," said James whilst joining Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes, "You are not putting our son in a cage," she said.

Remus put his book down, "I'll help," he said. "You might need it." Something smashed up stairs and James winced.

"Did somebody give them caffeine or something?" Sirius asked, an exasperated look on his face.

***[:]***

The kids had in fact probably had an overdose of sugar. Fred and George had decided to share their secret stash of chocolate frogs and bertie botts beans, being the brilliant people that they were. However, this had only ensured in chaos.

At first a giant pillow fight had broken out. And then it had changed to standing at each end of the corridor wrapped in a duvet and then charging at each other. Finally it had ended in a massive duvet and pillow pile on…with Ginny at the bottom and Teddy sat on the top.

The adults made their way all the way up stairs to find the tangle of bodies and pillows with Teddy sat cross-legged on top, a big smile on his face, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." Sirius commented. "Are you feeding your child steroids or something?" He asked Remus.

"Of course I'm not," he said. "C'mon Ted, it's your bed time and I think the others would appreciate being able to walk again."

"I'm alright," said Harry, his head partially visible under a pillow. "I'm quite comfortable actually."

"I'm not!" Ginny squealed from under the pile. Teddy shuffled off the pile.

"C'mon you lot," said Lily, "before you suffocate poor Ginny." The rest of the kids regrettably got off the pile, Ginny being the last to emerge.

Once the adults had finally gotten the kids to calm down and get them to head towards bed it was Eleven.

"Where's Ted," Remus asked as the kids disappeared into their various rooms.

Ginny glanced up and down the corridor, "Hasn't he gone to bed?" She questioned.

Remus shook his head, "he's not in his room." He'd been too busy rounding up the twins who thought it would be fun to lock themselves in a cupboard rather than go to bed. Whoever said the older ones were more responsible weren't telling the truth. And whoever thought it would be a good idea to give them wands seriously needed to rethink on what they'd done.

Remus walked along the corridor. If Teddy was hiding or something, he was going to be in trouble. However once he reached the end of the corridor he found his son, curled up fast asleep on the mound of duvet's that had been used in the pile on. Remus shook his head slightly as he picked up his son and carried him back to his room.

***[:]***

Dobby was at that point a very conflicted house elf. He couldn't under any circumstances disobey his master. But he wanted so much to help Tonks out and he had said 'help Tonks.' So it seemed only plausible that he should be standing outside number 12 Grimmauld place, his big wary eyes glancing up and down the street. He reached up for the door handle and quietly knocked.

***[:]***

Everyone was making their way back downstairs after putting the very reluctant kids to bed. "That was easy," said Sirius, a grin on his face.

Remus glanced at him, "Easy for you maybe, you weren't attempting to get the twins out of a closet…"

There was then a knock on the door. It was only quiet but everyone heard the distinct sound. "Who could that be?" James asked.

"No idea," replied Sirius.

Lily went to go and answer it. "Lil's wait," said James. He stepped past her, removing his wand from his pocket, and went to answer the door.

Sirius also removed his wand, shortly followed by Remus. The likelihood that whoever was standing outside was a threat was slim. But most people sent an owl ahead if they were coming and it was eleven at night. Ever since the Master took control, most people didn't go out so late at night.

James opened the door slowly only to come face to face with an elf.

He was only small, only just coming above James' knee. He had large tennis ball eyes and large bat like ears to match. The only piece of clothing he wore looked like a dirty dishcloth that had been tied loosely across his shoulder.

The four adults merely stared down at the elf, not sure what to make of him, or how he got here. "H-h-hello," the elf squeaked.

"Hello," James replied, his wand raised slightly, not sure whether to trust him or not.

"Hang on," Sirius said, "You're Narcissa's elf!" At this exclamation everyone directed their wands at the wary elf.

"Please," said Dobby, "Dobby doesn't mean any harm, Dobby has come for a friend…"

"How did you get here?" Sirius asked peering over James' shoulder. "This house is hidden, only those who know the address can get in."

"Dobby was told it so that he could find Remus Lupin." Everyone turned to Remus who was standing at the back listening in to the conversation.

He frowned slightly, "Why do you need to find me?"

"Dobby is here to find Remus Lupin to tell him where Nymphadora Tonks is." The elf squeaked whilst glancing up the street once more.

"What?" Remus said, staring down at the small elf.

"This has to be a trap Rem," said Sirius his wand still held at eye level with Dobby.

Dobby started to twist his hands into the rag that he wore over and over in a nervous state. "Dobby understands your concern, he understands that you think that this could be a trap. But Dobby is here for his friend Tonks…" He reached into a small pocket that had been sown into his rag and pulled out a small object. He held it up to Remus, "She said that if you didn't believe her I was to give you this and ask if you've gotten rid of that horrible troll umbrella stand." Lily took the small object and handed it to Remus. It was a ring. He stared down at the small circle; it was Dora's wedding ring.

Remus didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare at the small item of jewelry in his hand. Lily interrupted his thoughts, "Remus, it could still be a trap…"

"But it could not," he muttered. He looked down at the elf. "Where is she then?" He asked.

Dobby continued to still nervously twist his hands into his clothing, "She's…" he then started to smack his head against the wall next to the door.

Lily moved her hand up to her mouth, "don't," she said whilst watching the elf continuously smack his head against the wall.

"I can't," squeaked Dobby, "My Master…" He thumped his head against the wall particularly hard this time.

"Please stop doing that," said Lily and the Elf finally stopped.

"What if we guess?" said James, realizing that the elf was really struggling to reveal Tonks' whereabouts. "All you have to do is nod if we get it right." Dobby nodded in agreement, his ears flapping.

"Alright," said Sirius, "she's going to be with Death Eaters, isn't she?" Dobby nodded.

"Is she with the Malfoy's?" Remus asked. Again Dobby nodded. "Where do they keep her?" Remus asked.

"In…" Dobby smacked his head against the wall again. "The grounds…" Another smack to the head. "In a…" Thud. "…Shed."

Remus frowned, "in a shed," he repeated and Dobby nodded once more. "Is she alright," Remus asked.

Again Dobby nodded. "Dobby would advise you to be quick though, Tonks isn't safe at the moment…" The elf then glanced up the street like earlier, "Dobby must go now that he has told you. Master must not realize that Dobby is gone."

"Wait," said Sirius, "you know where our headquarters are, what if you tell Malfoy."

"Dobby has promised not to," squeaked the Elf, "by helping Tonks, Dobby must not reveal the hideout of the Order. Dobby promised not to betray any of Malfoy's family, and Sirius Black is part of that family. Dobby dislikes his Master very much anyway." He then stepped of the curb and disappeared with a short crack.

Remus looked down at the wedding ring in his hand once more. He finally knew where she was.

**I know this chapter is a bit short but i'll have the next instalment up in a couple of days :D Please review :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Remus' was tired and frustrated, and above all had a bad headache. He ran his hand through his hair for the hundredth time.

"Trust me," said Sirius. "They're my relatives, and I'm sure they would come up with something like this."

"But it doesn't make sense," added Lily, "why would they just want Remus?"

"…Well, maybe they don't…maybe its some plot to get Harry?"

"Sirius, even I don't see the logic in that," said James.

The four had been talking like this for over an hour now. They were all sat down in the kitchen around the table, debating on what the hell they should do next.

"There is only one-way to find out whether it's the truth or not," Remus then said. "And that's by going to Malfoy mannor."

"But if it's a trap," started Sirius.

"Then I guess we'll just have to be extra careful."

"I dunno," said Sirius. "It sounds dodgy to me. Shouldn't we tell Dumbledore or something?"

"Dumbledore's been off the radar for ages now," said Lily. "By the time we've found him we may have lost our chance."

"Dobby said we had to hurry," Remus added quietly.

Lily sighed. "We should check it out, at least try and figure out if it is a trap or not."

James nodded. "We can take the cloak. That way they won't see us coming," he smiled at his terrible joke, however nobody else took notice.

"There's a slight problem with that though," said Remus. "We haven't been able to all fit under the cloak since second year at Hogwarts."

James shrugged, "a minor detail, it just means only two of us can get close to the house."

"Well," said Lily. "Someone should stay here to keep an eye on the kids; I'll stay."

Remus stood up, "I'm going," he said.

"I'll come with you mate," said Sirius.

Everyone turned to James. "I'll stay here with Lily. Only two can fit under the cloak."

Remus headed to the door of the kitchen, eager to get there.

"Don't do anything brash." Said Lily, a look of worry on her face, Remus paused. "Don't go storming in there if you do find her."

"Don't worry," said Sirius. "We're just checking it out. Coming up with a plan. I don't reckon it will be a walk in the park getting into Malfoy manor."

***[:]***

Malfoy manor stood at the bottom of a hill, hidden by a circle of forest. It was a stormy cold night and the sound of two people apparating in the nearby forest was deadened by the wind in the trees.

"It's freezing here," said Sirius, pulling his jacket closer to him.

Remus merely nodded in answer. "Which way is it?" He asked.

"This way," replied Sirius, walking through the wood and down a steep incline, Remus followed.

Sirius' face fell slightly, "haven't been here in a long time," he muttered. "Unless the place has had an extension or something, it's going to be pretty much impenetrable."

They reached a clearing and the building suddenly came into sight. The black spires and gothic architecture stretching up towards the sky.

"Idyllic," said Remus, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"If Tonks is there," said Sirius, "I feel sorry for her."

Remus stared at the building, almost as if he stared long and hard enough he would suddenly know the whereabouts of his wife.

Sirius removed James' cloak from under his jacket and threw it over themselves. They both started to make their way towards the manor, now under the protection of the cloak.

It wasn't long until they reached the high gate of Malfoy manor. As if the wrought iron wasn't enough to stop any intruder, Remus was sure he could see the shimmer of a charm placed on the gate.

"There's no way we're getting in that way," Sirius muttered, mainly to himself.

Remus stared through the gate his eyes searching for anything of use. That's when he noticed the dilapidated building of to the right. He walked along the gate a bit, pulling Sirius with him, "Look," he said pointing through the gate.

"What?" questioned Sirius, and then noticed the shed, standing away from the main building of Malfoy Monor. "Oh." He said. "Do you think that's the shed the house elf spoke of?"

"Must be," replied Remus.

"How do we know she's in there," Sirius voiced Remus' thoughts out loud.

"I don't know," he replied and was silent for a while, his eyes always fixed on the shed. "What if we cause a commotion or something?"

"Yeah, but wouldn't that attract the attention of Malfoy as well?"

Remus fell quite again and Sirius decided not to interrupt, he could practically hear his friend's brain running on overdrive. "It needs to be something that Malfoy won't find suspicious. But something that would attract her attention."

"Like what?"

Remus smiled, "I think I've got it."

The pair made their way back up the hill where Sirius then apparated a short distance away and Remus made his way back down to the manor, the cloak over him. Once at the gate he silently waited, his eyes on the shed once more.

***[:]***

Tonks was curled up on the old mattress that had so kindly been donated to her. She was having another down moment, and all she could seem to think of was her family. What were they doing right now? They were probably both fast asleep- it was late after all. They wouldn't have as many troubling thoughts as she had at that very moment.

There was then a loud fizzing noise and a bang like a gun. Tonks was startled by the noise, sitting up quickly. Malfoy Monor was in the middle of the English countryside, miles away from any civilization, it was unusual to hear such noises, and at such a time. There was then another fizz and bang and Tonks looked up through the hole in her 'home' to see bright colours decorating the sky.

Realization dawned on her quickly; they were fireworks. Tonks stood up to gaze at the explosions more closely. However she couldn't see the whole display. A few more crackled across the skyline and a small smile appeared on Tonks face. She remembered the last time she'd seen fireworks like this.

It had been November the fifth and the boys had all gotten a load of Muggle fireworks in celebration of Guy Fawkes. Sirius, James, Remus and fireworks never was a good combination. They didn't seem to grasp their minds around the fact that the rockets couldn't just be stuck in the ground, and most of the display had been on the floor of James' back garden. The fact Sirius was a serious pyro maniac didn't seem to help either. Tonks' smile grew when she remembered Sirius lighting any firework he could get his hands on. At one point he lit a rocket and Remus had to yell at him "Don't light that yet!" And in a moment of panic threw the rocket down the garden, instead of using his brain and de-lighting the fuse. Then the rocket went off, directed straight at the onlookers, who included Tonks and lily, who screamed a considerable amount, but secretly enjoyed it.

That had been the last get together they'd all had. The next day it was announced that Voldemort had broken into the ministry, and the whole world turned upside down in seconds flat.

Tonks grabbed a hoodie and pulled it over her head. She wanted to go out and watch the display. She left the shed, only glancing up at the house once, and silently made her way around the back of the shed looking up at the fireworks.

***[:]***

At first Remus thought it was the trick of the light. He 'd been staring at the shed for so long, willing someone to come out that when someone did he was sure it was a figment of his imagination. He was momentarily thrown. Until he realized, that in plain clarity stood his wife.

Remus merely stared through the gate at Dora, unsure how to describe how he felt right then. Relief, certainly. A lot of relief. There had been times when he'd convinced himself that she couldn't possibly be alive, or at least that he would never see her again. But there she was, the only thing between them a charmed gate.

Remus watched as Dora smiled when a large pink firework blew up in the sky, lighting up her features. And he suddenly realized what he'd been missing for so long, it hit him like a ton of bricks and he couldn't help but call out to her.

Dora jumped at the sound of her name, her eyes darting around uncertainly, a slight frown on her face.

Remus realized she couldn't see him. Of course she couldn't see him, he was wearing James' cloak. He threw it off, but it seemed it was a fatal mistake. As soon as he removed the cloak an alarm went off at Malfoy manor.

***[:]***

Tonks' eyes darted to the gate as soon as she heard the intruder alarm, and saw to her alarm, Remus. "Remus!" she called out, staring at the figure standing on the other side of the wrought iron gate.

Remus grabbed the gate, "I'll get you out," he called.

Tonks couldn't help but smile, he couldn't really be standing there. This had to be some dream. However her smile soon vanished when realization hit her. "Get out of here," she called across to him. That alarm wasn't the only protection that surrounded Malfoy manor. "Remus run" she called. There was then some barking off to her left and she saw three large enchanted dogs run towards Remus on the other side of the gate. They were a transparent blue and left a trail of smoke behind them, but Tonks knew from experience, they could bite. They were far more vicious than any normal dog.

Remus took one last look at his wife and then grabbed James' cloak and legged it. He could hear the dogs barking and chasing after him. There were at least three of them, and Remus wondered how far out the charm extended on them until they didn't pose any threat.

Remus reached the bottom of the hill, his lungs already starting to hurt from the cold night air. As he started to make his way up the steep incline he started to run through the various spells that he could possibly use on the dogs. He was starting to think he wouldn't get very far. As soon as this thought occurred to him, one of the dogs snapped at his leg, snarling when it missed.

Remus jumped over a felled tree and pulled his wand out of his pocket. He turned, aiming his wand at the nearest dog and said "stupefy." The dog recoiled with the spell, whimpering as it fell behind from the others. At least normal stunning spells had an effect on them.

The other two were still racing after him though and one made another lunge for his leg; it's jaws snapping wildly. He tried aiming another spell at a dog but it leapt to the right, dodging it.

That's when Remus slipped on a pile of leaves, he tried to scramble back up but he wasn't fast enough. A dog collided into him. Remus rolled over, throwing the dog off him. He aimed his wand at the dog but the other leapt at him and sank it's teeth into his arm. Remus called out, kicking at the dog and throwing it off him. The other crouched onto his haunches, ready to pounce on him. Remus realized he was almost certainly about to become dog food. Something he thought was slightly ironic.

The other dog leapt and Remus closed his eyes, waiting for the other dog's teeth to sink into him. However all that happened was Remus heard a whooshing noise and the sound of a dog yelping. He opened his eyes to see a black dog snapping at both of the charmed dogs. He could not mistake the dark fur coat, it was Sirius.

Remus grabbed his wand off the forest floor, having dropped it earlier when the dog had jumped him and let off several spells at one of the dogs, it yelped in pain and then vanished into blue smoke.

Sirius and the other dog were snapping and clawing at each other, each trying to cause the most damage. Remus trained his wand on the Charmed dog but couldn't fire without the risk of hitting Sirius. Sirius yelped when the other dog dug its teeth into his shoulder, and he snarled, throwing him off him. Remus quickly took the opportunity to cast spells at it and it vanished, just like the other dogs.

Sirius padded over to Remus where he collapsed onto the forest floor next to him in exhaustion. "Thanks Padfoot," said Remus, rubbing him behind the ear.

**I know it's been a while since i posted :/ Sorry - but i hope this chapter has made up for it :D Please feel free to press that button below and review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm really sorry this has been a while - i've had it ready for ages but it wouldn't let me upload! :0 But now it's finally here so enjoy :)**

Chapter 8

"I think you should have gone with Remus, not Sirius." Lily voiced her thoughts out aloud to her husband.

The two were sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld with a cup of tea, deciding to wait for Remus and Sirius to get back, rather than go to bed. Lily didn't believe she could have gotten to sleep even if she had tried.

"Why not?" James asked whilst wrapping his hands around his mug of tea.

"Because, well, what if Tonks is there?" Lily looked up at her husband, "I mean, I know Remus is the sensible one, but he isn't when it comes to Tonks, and we've just let him go off with Sirius, who isn't likely to stop him from charging off into Malfoy Manor, he'll probably encourage him."

James sighed. "They'll be fine, I'm sure. I know Sirius can go for brawns over brains most of the time, but I trust him."

Lily took a sip from her tea, "Maybe I am overreacting slightly," she said. "I want to make a bet that they'll come back in a different state to what they left like though," she added.

"Well yeah," said James, a slight smile playing on his lips. "They'll be more tired. And they'll be a few hours older."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean like that. I mean, at least one of them is bound to be bleeding."

A slight glint appeared in James' eyes, "how much?" He questioned.

Lily rested her head in her hand as if in thought. "Twenty galleons."

"You're on," said James.

***[:]***

For the second time that Day, Remus Lupin found himself standing outside Grimmauld place covered in blood. However, this time, at least he wasn't the only one. Sirius was also standing next to him, and he was bleeding a considerable amount more than him.

Remus knocked on the front door, not loud enough to wake up all the residents inside but enough to at least grab the attention of someone.

They waited for a short while until the door opened to reveal James. He took one look at his two best friends and then sighed. "Guys you've let me down."

Both Remus and Sirius looked slightly confused by this.

"What?" Questioned Sirius.

"I made a bet with Lily that you would come back unharmed."

Remus mock winced, "How much?"

"Twenty Galleons."

Sirius stepped past James into the dimly lit hall of Grimmauld. "You'd have thought you would have learnt your lesson now. There's no point in having a bet with Lily. Now, where's the firewhiskey?"

"Kitchen," said Remus whilst also entering the building.

James quietly closed the front door of Grimmauld, not wanting to disturb the portrait of Sirius' mother.

The three then silently went down into the kitchen.

Lily took one look at Sirius and Remus and a slight smile appeared on her face. "Cough up James," she said.

"Alright, alright," he held his hands up in defeat and then sat down at the table. "I'll give it to you tomorrow."

Sirius was searching though the kitchen cupboards in the hope of finding a drop of firewhiskey and Remus sat down next to James.

"What happened?" Lily asked, her face now looking concerned.

"There were dogs," said Sirius, now finding a bottle in a top cupboard, and smiling.

"Dogs?"

"Malfoy had charmed dogs as security," Remus elaborated.

"What were you doing?" Lily exclaimed, going into her 'mother mode' as James liked to call it. "You said you were just checking the place out, you weren't ever trying to break in!"

Sirius sat down at the table, bottle in hand and took a swig from it. "Want some Moony?" He asked, holding the bottle out to Remus. He gladly accepted it and also took a swig from it.

Lily flicked her wand, summoning two glasses and passed them to them. "Other people may want to drink that," she said, not sounding too pleased by their actions.

Remus poured the golden liquid out into the two glasses.

"So what exactly did happen?" James asked.

Sirius explained what they had seen when they got to Malfoy manor, and how they had come up with the firework plan. He then told them about hearing the alarm go off at the manor and how he'd gone to find Remus, only to discover him being chased through the woods by two enchanted dogs.

Suddenly all eyes were on Remus. "Why did the alarm go off?" James asked.

Remus took a sip from his drink, enjoying the numbness it brought him. "Dora came out of the shed," he said. "I kind of threw all sense to the wind when I saw her, I called out her name and threw James' cloak off, and then the alarm went off." Remus ran a hand through his hair, "it was stupid really."

Silence had fallen quickly on the four friends.

"Did she look alright?" Lily broke it.

"I'm not sure," Remus replied. "It was dark, I couldn't really see her. But it was definitely her."

"How are we going to get her out?" James asked. "All Remus had to do was take my cloak off and the alarm went off."

"How come he wasn't detected under the cloak?" Sirius questioned, bringing his glass down.

"Not sure," replied Lily, "but it can be used to our advantage."

She glanced at Remus and Sirius. "I think we should all get some rest and think on it in the morning. You two look like death."

"Thanks," said Sirius, raising his glass and downing the contents.

"Do you want me to take a look at that?" She asked whilst gesturing to Sirius' bloodied shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, I was going to drink a potion before I went to bed. Should be fine."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I do seriously worry for your welfare," she said. "Let me have a look at it." She stood up, walking around the table to where Sirius was. "Do you want me to have a look at your arm Remus?" She asked him as she pulled up a chair next to Sirius.

"No, it's okay Lily. I'll clean myself up." He stood up, his chair scraping on the tiled floor of the kitchen. Lily glanced at him briefly, but didn't say anything else on the matter.

Both him and Lily had studied medicine at school, and for a while Lily had been a nurse at saint Mungo's. But it wasn't long until 'the master' took control and she'd had to leave her career to go underground with her family. She obviously thought Remus was capable of looking after himself.

Remus quietly left the kitchen. He was feeling slightly light headed as he headed up the stairs, and put it down to the firewhiskey and the slight loss of blood.

When he reached the upper landing he quietly tiptoed along the corridor, not wanting to wake any of the Weasley clan up. Remus reached the end room that he shared with Ted and quietly pushed the door open.

With all the Weasley clan at Grimauld, Teddy and Remus often had to share a room. It could get quite hectic when there were order meetings and lots of people often needed a place to stay.

Remus closed the door behind him and lit his wand to guide himself through the room, careful not to wake his son who was curled up on the large double bed. He went into the on-suite bathroom that also twinned onto Sirius' room, and turned the light on, pulling the door to slightly.

Remus put the plug in the sink and turned the taps on. He then slowly removed his jacket, wincing slightly at the movement and slung it over the edge of the bath.

He then opened the cupboard above the sink where he pulled out a phial that had 'antiseptic' written on it. He poured half the contents into the sink and turned the taps off. He removed his wand and muttered a few incantations over the sink of water and the liquid turned a shimmering purple colour.

Remus slowly eased his top over his head, peeling his bloodstained sleeve away from his skin and locking his jaw in an attempt not to cry out. He slung his top over the side of the bath along with his jacket, and then picked up a flannel, dunking it in the purple liquid.

Remus took a deep breath and then brought the flannel up to his arm, pressing it against his wound. He gritted his teeth with the sharp pain but continued the process until the water had gone dark with his blood.

Once finished Remus opened the cupboard again and removed a small kit, taking out a bandage. He was wrapping it around his arm when the door to the bathroom was slowly pushed open.

Remus looked up, wondering how he hadn't heard anyone enter his room to see Teddy, his hair sticking up from sleep and clad in his Quidditch pajamas. He stood half hidden behind the door and rubbed one of his eyes.

"Dad…?" He muttered, looking at the bandage wrapped around his arm and the sink filled with blood red water. "What happened?"

"I'm alright," Remus replied. "You should go back to bed."

"Was it Greyback?" Teddy muttered.

"No it wasn't," Remus let the water out of the sink. "Go back to sleep Ted, I'll be through in a minute."

Teddy glanced through to the bedroom. "It's dark," he said.

"Alright," replied Remus, giving in, "you can stay." The damage had already been done now anyway. Teddy had seen his arm and he was certain to ask questions in the morning.

Ted entered the bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat, his feet not touching the floor.

Remus put the phial and the small bandage kit back into the cupboard. "Where did you go?" Teddy asked.

Remus thought about telling Ted about his mother. He had a right to know, surly? But he didn't want to get his hopes up too much. Perhaps he would tell him in the morning. "I went out with Sirius," he replied.

"Is Sirius alright?"

"He's fine." Remus picked up his jacket and top, "C'mon," he said as he made to leave the bathroom.

Ted jumped down off the toilet seat and followed his Dad out of the room. "I don't like it when you go out," said Ted.

Remus turned the bathroom light off and Ted took hold of his hand as the room fell dark. "I know," said Remus, lighting his wand again. He walked over to the bed and Ted climbed in once more, getting under the covers.

Remus threw his clothes over the back of a chair, being too tired to do anything else with them and quickly put his pajamas on and climbed in next to his son. Teddy shuffled closer to his Dad and Remus put his good arm around him.

**Please keep reading and reviewing :D**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay! I've actually posted another chapter :D i've no idea why this has taken me so long - sorry. **

**Enjoy...**

Chapter 9

Teddy Lupin woke up to the sun streaming through the cheap nylon curtains. He rolled over and pulled his duvet over his head, attempting to dull the light. However, his efforts were futile and he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His Dad wasn't in the room and Teddy's heart quickened suddenly when he thought he may have gone out again. But he managed to calm himself down when he realized that he'd probably just gone downstairs for breakfast..

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He grabbed a jumper of the floor from a pile of clothes and pulled it over his head before exiting the room.

As he walked along the upstairs corridor he tiptoed quietly, knowing Grimmauld was an old building and that the floorboards could sometimes make some very interesting noises. He was also aware of some light snores coming from the rooms he passed, knowing full well that most of the Weasleys would not be up until lunchtime. He did not want to wake up a Weasley unnecessarily, that was just asking for trouble.

He silently made his way down two flights of stairs into the kitchen, where most activities went on.

James and Remus were both sat in the kitchen, talking quietly over a cup of tea, they hadn't noticed Teddy who had silently slipped into the room.

"The only way in is the main entrance," said Remus, "there's no way we would be able to get past that wall."

"If you were undetected under my cloak you could probably get through the charm then," he said. "All that we'd have to do is wait for someone to leave or enter Malfoy manor, and you could sneak in after them."

Teddy stepped further into the room. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Both Remus and James were startled out of their conversation.

James stared at the small boy before him, what could he say? We were just discussing how to break into Malfoy Manor because your mother is being held captive there?

He suddenly wished his wife was there, because she was always able to play down a situation. The amount of times Harry had stumbled onto order business and Lily had merely passed it off as a map of Diagon alley, not the secret plans to the underground levels of the ministry.

"Ted…" started Remus and then ran his hand through his hair. "Come and sit down."

Teddy, not sure what to make of his father's behaviour did just that, sitting in the chair next to him.

"Ted," Remus started again, "We've found your Mum, she's being held captive at Malfoy manor."

Teddy stared back at his Dad, "you've found her?" His mind was suddenly racing, was she alright? Where had she been for so long?

"Are you going to get her out?' Teddy asked his Dad.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Remus' face, "of course we are."

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Remus replied, perhaps too quickly and unsure whether it was reassurance for Teddy or himself.

"Is that where you were yesterday?" Teddy asked, his eyes darting to Remus' arm and then back again. Remus merely nodded in answer. "When did you find out?" Ted's voice dropped slightly, how long had his father known the whereabouts of his Mother whilst Teddy was potentially clueless.

"Since last night."

Teddy was slightly relieved about not being left out of the loop for too long. He then looked up at his father determinedly, "I want to help," he said.

Remus looked down at the kitchen table in front of him, frowning slightly, "Ted, you're a bit young…"

"I can help though," Teddy cut through his father, "I'll be a lookout or something…"

"Ted, I don't think that's such a good idea," Remus shook his head, and even though he didn't raise his voice, Teddy could see it was his no mess face. This didn't seem to stop him from persisting though.

"Please?"

"No," Remus replied, "it's too dangerous for you. I won't risk losing both of you."

Teddy averted his gaze, scowling slightly. It was his Mother after all, he wanted to help. He had a right to help, surly. "But…" Teddy started.

"No buts."

Teddy pushed his chair back, scraping it against the stone floor and standing up, a scowl still visibly apparent on his face. He stormed out of the room, his turquoise hair turning a visible red at the ends.

Remus sighed once his son had left, running his hand through his hair again.

"Don't worry Remus," said James, who had stayed silent throughout the entire interaction. "You did the right thing."

Remus rested his head in his hands and nodded his head in agreement, even though he didn't look thoroughly convinced.

"You look completely knackered," said James who hadn't averted his gaze from his friend.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Remus replied.

It was then that Lily entered the room whilst pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Is Teddy alright?" She asked. "He just ran upstairs, his hair was red."

"I told him about Dora," Remus replied. "He wanted to help and I said no."

"Oh right," said Lily, sitting down in a seat opposite him. "It was the right thing to do," she added. "I wouldn't dream of letting Harry come along with me if I was in your position."

"Yeah, and Harry wouldn't be too happy about it either, would he?" Questioned James.

***[:]***

Teddy ran up the second flight of stairs, pushing past Fred and George, who called out after him concernedly. He ran along the landing until he reached his room, slamming the door shut. He grabbed a near-by set of draws and dragged it across the floor, barring the entrance. He then sat down on the floor, pulling his legs up to his chest, and started to cry quietly to himself.

He didn't know why he was crying, and it made him angry, which just seemed to make him cry more. It was pointless, surly, crying? What good would it do? He could cry all he liked and the world would not change.

Teddy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Crying was for babies after all, and he was six now. But he couldn't manage it and he soon burst into tears again.

"Hey Ted? Are you alright mate?" It was one of the twins. They were stood outside the room.

Teddy didn't reply. He just wanted them to go and leave him alone.

"Let's give him some space George," said Fred. Teddy could hear their retreating footsteps.

He shut his eyes, and his mind wondered to his Mother. The Mother he knew barely anything about. He tried to picture her, thinking about the photo he kept of her. Her bright pink hair, her smiling face. That weird sisters tee-shirt which he knew his Dad kept, and the long bright red coat. He remembered something vaguely that uncle Padfoot had once said. _"…that coat was part of the auror uniform Ted, your Mum was one of the best you know. Not many spells that could catch her off guard…" _Teddy pushed his fists into his eyes. If there weren't many spells that caught her off guard then how did she get captured in the first place? If she really was that good wouldn't she be here with him now? Had Sirius lied to him? Teddy only ever heard positive things about his Mum. People only ever told him the good things, and there had to be some bad, right? If Teddy had learnt anything in his short life span it was that not everyone was perfect, especially not in this world.

He knew his Dad missed her too. Ted was always careful around his Dad when mentioning his Mum. He very rarely asked questions about her. He knew it was a subject that should be avoided most of the time. Remus was more open about being a Werewolf to his son than he was about his wife… his Dad clearly loved his Mum a lot…Loved her as much as he loved Teddy…or perhaps more…

It was a thought that had occurred to the young child several times, did his Dad love his Mum more than him? He didn't like it, and he would often divert his attention whenever it sprang to mind, but it was always lurking in the back of his head. Now that they'd found her, what would life be like when she was rescued? Would they be the perfect happy family…or would it just be his Dad and his Mum…how it was before him…

What if his Mum didn't like him? She didn't know him, she had never had a conversation with him. Everyone Teddy knew had known him from an early age, he'd never met any strangers, especially with being on the run, so who was to say his Mum would like him?

He didn't like these thoughts. He fisted his hands in his hair, tugging at the roots. She was his Mum, therefore she would like him, why would he ever think otherwise… Why couldn't things just be simpler?

There was then a quiet knock on the door. Teddy froze, quieting his jagged breaths in an attempt not to be heard. "Teddy…can I come in…" It was his Dad.

Teddy didn't reply, instead he just concentrated even harder on staying perfectly silent.

"Ted, I know you're in there…"

"Go away!" Teddy snapped. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Ted, please, I can understand why you're upset but there's no need to lock yourself away."

"Yes there is," he mumbled, knowing his Dad could probably hear him through the door. Being a Werewolf meant his hearing was much sharper.

He heard his Dad sigh on the other side of the door. "Teddy, you know I care for you a lot, I love you. That's why I can't let you come to Malfoy manor. It would be too dangerous. I can't loose you as well Ted…Please understand that…"

Teddy rested his head on his knees, staring blankly at the dimly lit room. He did understand, that didn't mean he didn't want to go though…

"Can I come in Teddy?"

Teddy didn't move, letting his Dad's words sink in. He then stood up, turning to face the door. He shifted the chest of draws slightly and then pulled the door open, slipping out into the corridor.

He stared down at the wooden floor of Grimmauld, knowing his Dad was just stood a couple of paces away. Remus crouched down in front of his son in an attempt to catch his eye.

Teddy glanced at him quickly but then averted his eyes. He was almost embarrassed. Remus sighed again and then hugged his son. Teddy reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around him and burying his head into his shoulder. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright Ted, we all have our moments," Remus replied quietly whilst rubbing circles into his back. Teddy's hands fisted into Remus' t-shirt as he started to sob into Remus' t-shirt. Remus picked him up and shifted slightly, sitting down in the corridor with his back against the wall. They sat like that for a few minutes until Teddy had calmed down slightly.

"Better?" Remus asked once his son's breathing had evened out. Teddy nodded. "Shall we go back downstairs?"

"No," Teddy replied, shifting his head and looking up at his Dad. "When are you going?" He asked.

"…to get Mum?" Teddy nodded in reply. "…not a hundred percent sure Ted," Remus said, shifting slightly. "There's no plan yet…"

"Are we going to move to France when you find her?"

"I guess so," Remus replied. It was where most of the order kept permanent residence due to the Death Eaters that ruled over England.

"Sirius says the French are stuck up and rude…"

Remus chuckled slightly, "Some of them can be…but obviously the whole country isn't like that."

Teddy looked up at his Dad, "We'll be okay there though because we speak the language," Teddy added. His Dad had taught him how to speak fluently from an early age. "Does Mum speak French…?"

A slight smile appeared on Remus' face. "No, I'm afraid not. You can teach her though if you want, I tried once but I wasn't too successful."

"Why not?"

"She was easily distracted." The smile remained.

"Who taught you how to speak French?" Teddy then asked.

"My Mother taught me," Remus replied. "She was from Marseilles in France."

"What happened to her?" Teddy asked quietly. He knew all his grandparents were dead but he didn't know under what circumstances.

"She was Muggle, and she got a Muggle disease that was incurable…"

"Oh," Teddy replied. A silence fell between the pair for a few minutes until Teddy broke it.

"Dad?" He muttered.

"Yes?"

"Will Mum…will Mum like me…?"

Remus looked down at his son, a slight frown on his face, "of course she will Ted… why would you think otherwise…?"

"She…she doesn't know me…" Teddy averted his gaze from his father.

Remus tilted his son's chin up so he could look him in the eye. "Theodore Lupin, your Mother loves you very much, she begged for your life to be spared…don't you ever think otherwise, okay?"

Teddy nodded.

"You're more like her than you know," Remus said pulling his son closer and kissing him on the crown of the head.

**Aww some Remus and Teddy Fluff. I really enjoyed writing this - i hope you enjoyed reading it :D I have the next chapter ready so i'll post it in a few days to keep you lot occupied :) Please R and R :P**

**Millipher Steerus Xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Easter everyone! I know it was yesterday - but i was too busy eating chocolate and sunbathing in the glorious weather to update then :/**

**But i shall send all those who review virtual mini eggs :D **

Chapter 10

Tonks winced slightly as she knelt down in the upper corridor of Malfoy Manor. She ached all over. Last night hadn't been very pleasant at all. After the disturbance Malfoy hadn't been in one of his nicer moods.

He'd caught Tonks standing outside in the grounds with all the alarms blazing and had instantly assumed she'd attempted another escape. But Tonks had been glad about that. She didn't want Malfoy to know Remus had been at the gate…

But of course, Malfoy wouldn't just leave it at that. Tonks had had to be punished, and she'd received several cruciatus curses.

She winced slightly as she reached for the soaked through rag she was cleaning the floor with. Every single muscle in her body protested at the slightest movement, but she had to carry on. It was part of her punishment. All the upper landings had to be spick and span else Malfoy would let loose another torment of spells at her.

Tonks dunked the rag in a bucket of luke-warm water next to her and rung it out. She then continued the tedious and long task of scrubbing the wooden floor of Malfoy manor clean.

She tried to concentrate her thoughts on other mundane things than the burning in her muscles. She had to thank Dobby. She hadn't seen the elf since she'd begged him to help her, and she was almost certain that Remus turning up last night had been down to the house elf.

It wasn't long until she reached the other end of the corridor. She was wringing out the rag again when she heard some muffled voices coming from behind Lucius Malfoy's office door. Tonks knew someone was here because the doorbell had gone around fifteen minutes ago.

Her curiosity and Auror instincts got the better of her and she moved closer to the closed door of Malfoy's office.

"…of course, Mcnair didn't quite understand the effects of the potion…" Tonks easily recognized Lucius' voice.

"…Well, it was to be expected…" The rough, grating voice could belong to no one else but Greyback, Tonks was certain. "…Well, Malfoy, as nice as it's been to chat and catch up, I believe there were other reasons for me being here?"

"Yes," Malfoy replied and then paused. "The dark lord has a few tasks that need completing, and thought it would be best if you and your pack carried them out…" Tonks leaned in closer to the door. "I understand you ran into a member of the order the other day?"

"Yes," Greyback growled, "Lupin, and his brat…"

"Yes, well, the dark Lord has reason to believe that the order is meeting up in London soon. And where the order is, Harry Potter is not so far behind. Our Master has asked that your pack scour the streets of London for them. I have some photos here of the enemies of the state, pass them around." There was a slight rustling and Tonks assumed that the photos were being handed over.

"You're not to harm anyone you find either. Injure or maim if they pose any real threat, but the dark Lord wants to interrogate them himself."

"Is that all our Master requires of me?" Greyback asked.

"For now, yes," Lucius replied.

"Mentioning Lupin…" Greyback said. "I've got a bit of a bone to pick with him. I understand you keep his lovely wife here," Tonks could almost hear the sneer in his voice. "I don't suppose you would mind if I paid her a visit?" Tonks felt slightly sick.

"Not at all, as long as there's no permanent damage done…"

Tonks backed away from the door. Being caught eavesdropping would not bode well for her. And she was certain she'd heard enough now. She picked up the bucket and moved further down the corridor, wondering when Greyback would come look for her. She could go and hide…no that would just make things considerably worse.

Her stomach knotted at the thought. To say she was not scared would be a great misconception, but she was determined to not let Greyback know it when he came for her.

She knelt down and began to scrub at the floor once more, keeping her mind occupied with the task. It wasn't long until the office door clicked open though and Fenrir Greyback stepped out, shortly followed by Lucius.

Tonks ignored them both and continued to scrub away at the floor. She heard them say some brief goodbyes and then someone's retreating footsteps. When she glanced up next Fenrir Greyback was standing over her.

***[:]***

"Has anyone seen Sirius at all today?" James asked whilst crossing his arms and leaning back against a kitchen counter.

"No, 'fraid not," replied Remus who was searching through the cupboards. "he's probably still asleep, he could sleep for several days and not realize he'd missed out…"

"Yeah, but, I'm sure he'd have come down for food or something by now?" James said, watching Remus sift through the contents of the cupboards. "What you looking for Moony?"

"Chocolate," he replied. "There has to be some, I'm sure I hid some in one of these cupboards…"

James reached up into a cupboard behind him, quickly locating a bar of honeydukes finest. "Moony," he said.

Remus turned around and James chucked the chocolate towards him. He only just managed to catch it on time. "Thanks," he said, opening the bar and snapping off a few squares.

"Is Ted alright now?" James asked whilst watching his friend consume the chocolate as if it was some form of drug.

"Yeah, he went to bed. I think I kept him up all night. I kept moving about and things…"

At that exact point the kitchen door to Grimmauld flew open, crashing into some cupboards with a bang. A disheveled, messy haired Sirius stood on the other side. He stepped into the room quickly, making his way over to the table and talking animatedly. "I've been sat up all night sifting through nearly every conversation I had with the Malfoy's when I was a kid, even after I thought my brain may turn into mush! It's taken me a while…okay, it's taken me all night and morning, but I have devised a plan… " he held up a piece of parchment in his right hand, "…that is so full proof that Malfoy won't know what hit him, and Tonks will be out of that hell hole before you can say Hippogriff."

James and Remus glanced at each other and then turned back to Sirius.

"Well," Remus said, "What is it?"

Sirius pulled up a chair and sat down. James and Remus quickly joined him and he began to talk animatedly once more.

**I know it's a bit short, but the next chapter will be nice and eventful :) Please R and R**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update - and i know some of you have probably been cursing me (i would) It's been two months - and i hope the next chapter won't take me so long :)**

**I have been extra busy with my A-level exams at the moment tho - and i've only had a chance to complete this because i'm in Denmark visiting relatives. **

**Anyway- enough chit chat - without further ado - ladies and gentlemen - chapter 11 :0**

Chapter 11

Cerberus Craven was not someone you should mess with, especially at this point in time. He kicked a large rock whilst stomping through the undergrowth, hacking away branches and leaves. He was aware of the noise he was making, but he was also aware that there was no possible threat in the vicinity of him to take advantage of it. Nobody from the order was stupid enough to hang around here, not when it was so close to the house of a renowned Death Eater. Not unless they were very stupid.

However this did mean that the very stupid trio, who were in fact part of the order and crouching in the undergrowth were highly aware of his presence. They had in fact been waiting for him for several hours, and unlike most Wizards, were actually glad he had arrived.

"Someone is in a bad mood," Sirius whispered to his two companions.

"I wonder why that is?" James replied sarcastically in hushed tones, his eyes fixed on Cerberus.

"Maybe it's because he's been chasing an order member all over England," Remus replied. "C'mon, we have to follow him."

The three stood up, crouching to avoid being seen from under the cloak. The cloak wasn't big enough for them and they had to hold it so they were undetectable to Cerberus. However, this did mean that if anyone were to stand behind them they would see three disembodied pairs of feet mysteriously making their way through the forest.

Cerberus growled to himself, he shouldn't have to report to Malfoy with such news. He would much rather be out there searching for that damn resistance member. But orders were orders, and you didn't want to be on the wrong side of the Master. He knew he would much rather be out there chasing after the scum than reporting on their movements. But then again, they had been acting very suspicious; maybe Lucius would be happy with the news. Maybe he would get some form of reward. A slight smile graced his features briefly.

Cerberus stepped out onto a clearing, glancing up at the dark stone building that loomed over him. He walked up to the gate and was about to pull a chord for the doorbell when he heard a snap from behind. He paused, turning around and scanning the trees. Was someone out in the woods? He stood perfectly still, listening intently for any other sounds. If only it was closer to the full moon, he thought. His senses would be much better tuned. After not spotting anything out of place he turned back to the wrought iron gate and pulled the bell.

"That was too close," James whispered.

"It's alright," Remus replied, "he hasn't seen us."

"Okay, we have to move quickly," Sirius said quietly and they all hid behind a tree and pulled the cloak off.

"Have you got the parchment?" James asked Remus.

Remus nodded whilst checking his pocket for the hundredth time that day.

Sirius glanced out from behind the tree. "Someone's coming," he said, "you've got to go Remus else you'll miss your window."

Remus nodded, pulling the cloak over him and becoming invisible.

"Good luck," James said into the silence.

Remus quickly made his way through the undergrowth, carefully stepping over tree roots whilst making his way down the small incline to the gate of Malfoy Manor. It wasn't long until he was standing right next to Cerberus.

There was a house elf walking up to the gate with a lantern in his hand, his bat like ears flapping as he walked along. Remus recognised him as Dobby.

"Hurry up elf!" Cerberus growled in irritation.

Dobby sped up his pace considerably and when he reached the gate removed the various charms and protections on it, opening it. Cerberus pushed his way past the elf as he entered, completely oblivious of his invisible follower.

***[:]***

Tonks shut her eyes in an attempt to ignore the burning in her arm. If she'd felt like shit earlier it was nothing compared to how she felt now. Her run in with Greyback had been as eventful as she'd predicted. She winced as a spasm of pain went through her right arm. She opened her eyes and stared up through the hole in her shed. There were no stars or moon out tonight, it was completely clouded over. She rested her head against the cool wood, closing her eyes once more, if she could ignore the way her body ached all over and her arm throbbed at the slightest movement she could probably get to sleep. And hopefully in the morning the pain would have subsided.

***[:]***

Remus let out a breath when he'd passed through the gate to Malfoy manor. It had been a risk to hold everything on the protection of the cloak, but a risk he was willing to take, and it had paid off. He'd recognised Cerberus as part of Greyback's pack and for a brief moment he was worried that he would be able to smell him from under the cloak and would detect his presence, but he'd slipped by unnoticed.

Cerberus and Dobby disappeared inside the mansion. Remus headed directly to the shed to his right, hoping that Tonks would be inside. He sped up as he neared the wooden construction, his heart almost dropping to his stomach. He was nervous. He didn't know what he was going to find inside, he didn't know what to expect, and he was almost excited, in a sick, nervous way. He then remembered what Dobby had said when he turned up outside Grimmauld a couple of nights ago, "Dobby would advise you to be quick though, Tonks isn't safe at the moment…" Remus' pace quickened.

When he reached the door to the wooden structure he paused, glancing around quickly in case anyone was around. He knew that if the door to the shed was to open mysteriously and someone was to see it, it would be perceived as highly suspicious. And he couldn't mess up with something so trivial like that now, not when he was so close.

When he was certain nobody was around to witness anything incriminating he pushed the door open, the old rusty hinges creaking as it swung forward.

Remus stepped inside, his breath hitching as he spotted a figure curled up on a mattress in the corner of the room. The figure stirred at the sound of the door opening and sat up, eyes darting to the door.

Remus could have sworn his heart had stopped beating when he saw the so familiar heart shaped face staring almost anxiously at the apparently empty doorway. He noted how she cradled her arm to her chest, and how she so desperately clung to a blanket draped around her shoulders and felt slightly sick.

"Who's there…?" He was so momentarily stunned that he forgot that she couldn't see him and he was only thrown from his thoughts when she broke the silence.

He acted almost instantly pulling the cloak off him and muttering, "it's me…"

Tonks' eyes went wide immediately and then a smile crossed her face, lighting up her features, "Remus? Is that really you?"

Remus nodded crossing the room quickly and kneeling down next to the mattress. "Who else could I be?" he asked with a slight smile.

"I could be dreaming…" she muttered, her eyes never leaving him.

Remus placed his hand on the side of her face, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb, "I'm definitely here," he said. "This isn't a dream."

She wrapped her good arm around him, holding him close and burying her head in his chest.

"I missed you," Remus said, his voice hitching slightly.

"Missed you more," Tonks' reply was muffled by Remus' shirt and he chuckled slightly.

Tonks eventually let go of him, breaking the embrace that the two could have happily stayed in for eternity. Remus looked down at her, studying her carefully. He noticed the dark patch on her cheekbone where a bruise was staring to form and the dried blood on her forehead from a small gash. Not to mention her cradled arm, which on further inspection Remus was sure was broken.

"Are you alright?" He asked, almost cursing his words as they slipped out of his mouth. Of course she wasn't alright, he could see that plain as day.

"I've been better," she replied with a slight smile. Remus watched her closely, his eyes filled with deep concern and guilt. He should have been here for her these past few years. He should have found her sooner and brought her home.

"I'm sorry," he said glancing down at the wooden floor. "I should have been here sooner…"

"Shush," Tonks said, stopping him by placing a finger on his lips. "It's not your fault. You're the last person to blame for this," she said. "You're here now and that's all that matters."

Remus nodded but not in an overly convincing way. "Is your arm broken?" He then asked.

"I can't move my fingers," she replied, "so I guess it is."

Remus produced his wand from an inside jacket pocket but was halted by Tonks. "You can't," she said. "Malfoy has wand registration wards up. If you cast a spell they'll be here in seconds."

Remus could have guessed as much, but all rationality had blown to the wind in the past few minutes. "They extend out to the grounds as well?" He asked hopefully because he couldn't stand the idea of Tonks being in any kind of pain.

"I'm alright," she replied, reading his thoughts.

Remus pocketed his wand, "are you cold?" He asked. She had resumed to clutching the blanket around her shoulders.

"Just a little bit," she replied. "It doesn't help that there's a hole in the wall."

Remus glanced to the left of Tonks to see a gap between the slats of the shed. The shed itself certainly wasn't the most insulated object ever, and the hole certainly didn't improve the temperature. Remus shrugged off his jacket, "here," he said.

"You'll get cold," Tonks replied quickly.

"I'll be fine," he said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he draped his jacket over her shoulders, careful to mind her arm. He glanced at the hole in the wall once more, knowing Tonks would be a lot warmer if it was blocked. But he couldn't use his wand without giving away his presence. His gaze flickered around the shed briefly in search of an object, which could help block the hole when a thought occurred to him.

"Shift up slightly," he asked Tonks, and she shuffled along the mattress. Remus stood up and went and sat on the other side of the mattress, obscuring the hole. He put his arm around Tonks as she leant into him. "Better?" He asked.

"Much," Tonks replied.

The couple lapsed into a silence and all that could be heard was the whistling wind through the trees of the nearby forest.

"Remus…?" Tonks then broke the silence.

"Yes?" He replied, glancing down at her.

"You did…Narcissa did give you…" she paused. It was such a difficult question to frame, especially because she feared the answer so much. She hadn't doubted before, but now she wasn't so sure…had Remus been given their son or had she somehow misinterpreted what Greyback had said…

"Teddy," Remus then said quietly. "I decided to call him after your Dad…it probably wasn't the most inventive name ever…but Sirius and James thought it was a good idea. I also thought you'd be annoyed with me if I ever gave him a name as extravagant as Nymphadora." He smiled slightly. "…and I knew you'd always loved your Dad's name…"

"It's perfect," Tonks replied, glancing up at Remus, her eyes alight with something new. "What's he like?" She asked.

Remus smile grew. "He's just like you really. Well, he's a Metamorphagus, which I guess is the most obvious trait he inherited. His favourite colour is turquoise, and he'll often have his hair that colour." He shifted slightly, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. "I've got a photo," he said. He opened his wallet and passed it to Tonks.

She looked down at the small crinkled photo in his wallet. A young boy beamed back at her, his turquoise hair falling in his eyes. He looked no older than five in the image as he waved back enthusiastically. "he looks like you," Tonks muttered.

"Lily says that," Remus replied, "but I see you in him more than me mostly…"

Tonks glanced up at her husband once more, raising an eyebrow, "like?" She asked.

Remus chuckled slightly. "When he gets hyper he tends to say whatever comes to mind in a very Tonks way. He's also got a strange obsession with music that merely consists of shouting…"

"Hey, it's not a strange obsession, rock music is the best…" Remus rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face. "When will we get out of here?" She then asked. "I take it there is a plan?"

"Of course," Remus replied, "devised by none other than your cousin."

"That's not a hundred percent reassuring," Tonks replied.

Remus reached into his pocket once more and pulled out a small piece of parchment. "Sirius and James will contact us on this when Cerberus leaves. We'll have to slip out with him whilst under the cloak."

Tonks nodded, "Is that how you got in?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

There was then a small scratching noise. Remus looked down at the piece of parchment he'd just removed from his pocket. Small words were appearing across it in Sirius' unmistakable scrawl.

_There are lights on in the hallway, I'd get moving if I were you._

"We need to get moving," Remus said. He glanced at Tonks, his eyes filled with concern once more. "Do you think you'll be able to stand?" He asked.

Tonks nodded. Remus shuffled off the mattress and stood up. He outstretched his hand to Tonks and helped her stand up. "Thanks," she said.

Remus grabbed the cloak off the floor and threw it over the pair of them, holding her close. They slipped out of the shed and Tonks dearly hoped it would be the last time she ever laid eyes on the place.

As they quickly made their way across the grounds Tonks stumbled a couple of times, but Remus kept a firm grip on her, stopping her from falling over. They soon reached the gate and waited silently amongst the shadows for Cerberus to leave the manor.

It wasn't long until the Death Eater left the manor, following Dobby once more who held up a lantern, casting long shadows across the grounds. Cerberus muttered something to himself once they reached the gate, a visible scowl on his face.

Dobby waved his hand and the gate creaked open, the metal protesting at the movement.

Cerberus left the manor, unaware of his two close companions.

***[:]***

Sirius and James were sat in a hollow, staring up at the mansion. They could see Cerberus crossing the grounds, but there was no indication that Remus was following him out, or if he had in fact found Tonks. They had agreed before hand that if Remus did find her he wouldn't inform them on the parchment, instead he should concentrate on getting the hell out of there.

"Do you think he's got her?" James asked, his eyes still fixed on the house.

"He's not likely to leave without her," Sirius replied.

"If only we could see them under the cloak," James replied. "Then we would know if they were there or not."

"Yeah, and then the Death Eaters would also see them." Cerberus had now left the manor and was walking towards the forest, but not in the direction of James and Sirius.

"I didn't mean that visible," James retorted. They lapsed into a brief silence, Cerberus was at the gate now. "Do you remember those glasses that we once tried to make, so we could see people under my cloak?" James then asked, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah, how could I forget," Sirius chuckled quietly, "they never worked on the cloak, but they certainly worked on certain items of clothing."

James had to bite back a laugh. "Devastating shame Filch stole them," he replied. "Do you remember that substitute, Miss Knowles?" James raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Sirius smirked, "now that was a view and a half."

James smiled, "She used to wear the most interesting underwear."

"Good to know some things never change."

Sirius and James jumped out of their skins when they heard the disembodied voice. Especially after they hadn't heard it in so long. They both span around but where faced with a wall of trees.

"Tonks!" Sirius said, scanning the foliage. Two bodies then appeared, one holding a shimmering cloak and both smiling. It was Remus and Tonks.

Sirius and James both beamed from ear to ear, "Good to see you cuz," Sirius replied. "I hope the relatives have been nice," he added, his smile faltering slightly, "but it looks like they haven't."

James shook his head in slight bewilderment, "It's so good to see you bubble gum head."

Tonks smiled at the nickname James hadn't used since they'd been at Hogwarts. "It's good to see you too."

"C'mon," said Sirius, "we need to get back. I'm knackered, and Tonks looks like she could use a bed."

Remus nodded in agreement. "We should get going." They started to make their way through the trees away from Malfoy Manor. They didn't know how far his wards extended so they decided to go a far distance from the building before they apparated away. After all, if something went wrong now, none of them could ever forgive themselves.

They reached a particularly thick part of the wood when Tonks tripped up on a tree root. Remus reacted quickly and managed to stop her from falling flat on her face, but he grabbed her arm in doing so and she called out in pain.

"Shit, sorry," Remus apologized quickly.

"S'alright," Tonks replied quietly, still clearly in some pain. "It probably would have hurt more if I'd landed on it."

Remus thought that was a very slight consolation. "Why don't I fix it now," He said.

James ran a hand through his hair, "we don't want to set off the wards Moony," he replied.

Sirius shrugged, "it is a bit risky…"

"I'll be fine," Tonks replied, "we're nearly there," she smiled in reassurance, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Remus glanced down at the floor, and then looked her in the eyes again, "will you at least let me carry you the rest of the way then. We've still got a fair bit of forest to trek through and you're not strong enough…" It was true that Tonks had been going at a slow pace, and all three marauders had been glancing at her concernedly. They may have found her, but not entirely in one piece.

"Only if you stop worrying about me," Tonks replied, even though she knew she was knackered and had been hoping they were nearly there. But being under the Malfoys for so long hadn't destroyed her stubborn streak. It took a lot for a Tonks to admit defeat.

Remus half smiled, "deal," he replied and carefully picked her up, carrying her bridal style.

The four continued walking through the undergrowth for a further fifteen minutes until they reached a clearing and apparated away into the darkness.

***[:]***

Cerberus was once more stomping his way through the undergrowth when he thought he heard three distant cracks. He paused and then shook his head. No Wizard or Witch was stupid enough to come within miles of Malfoy Manor.

**YAY! they have Tonks :D I hope this makes up for my long absence...**

**Big thanks to everyone who's reviewed - you're the best ever :) Please feel free to drop another comment :) **

**Millipher Steerus out xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Peeks out from behind woodshed that she's been hiding in. **

**I'm sorry for the LONGEST update ever :/Hopefully you will accept this chapter as recompense.**

Three resounding cracks echoed down the backstreets of London. If any Muggles were to have heard them, they would have claimed that it was fireworks. They wouldn't have ever guessed in a million years that it was the arrival of three wizards and a witch, who had just magically apparated down a backstreet.

James ran to the end of the alley and peered out. "It's clear," he said.

They were only a few streets away from Grimmauld place, but it was still a risk to have apparated into the centre of London, especially at night.

They all made their way cautiously out of the alley, crossing a street and heading down another side road lit dimly by a few failing lampposts. James and Sirius both had their wands out in case of attack.

They reached the end of the street and looked out onto a small square with houses lining the edge.

"All clear," said Sirius. "over and out."

James rolled his eyes and they all left the street, walking quickly across the road and up towards Grimmauld Place. The building started to shift into view as they got closer, and it wasn't long until everyone was stood outside the big black door and brass knocker of Grimmauld place.

"Can't believe this place is still standing," Tonks muttered into Remus' jumper.

Sirius removed a key from his trouser pocket and slotted it into the door, pushing it open for his friends to cram into the dark hallway.

Once Sirius had shut the door behind him there was the sound of hurried footsteps coming up from the kitchen, and it wasn't long until Lily appeared from around the corner, taking in the scene before her.

"Tonks!" She exclaimed once she saw her best friend and ran towards her.

Tonks smiled, "did you miss me Ginger?" She asked her friend, resorting to her old school nickname.

"More than you would know," Lily replied, unable to remove the smile on her face. "It's so good to see you." The two friends had so much to tell each other and catch up on, but at that single moment it felt a smile was all that was needed.

Lily glanced at Tonks arm, which was still at a funny angle and stepped out of the way so Remus could take her upstairs. "Ted's on a camp bed with Harry and Ron, they had a sleepover." She informed Remus. "I thought it might be best, as a distraction and so you didn't disturb him when you got back." Remus nodded in understanding and carried Tonks over to the foot of the stairs.

Sirius clapped James on the back, "We shan't crowd you," he told Remus and Tonks, steering James towards the kitchen, who gave them a quick smile as they walked past.

"Do you need any help Remus?" lily asked.

Remus shook his head, "I think I can manage," he smiled down at Tonks. Lily nodded and Remus continued to carry Tonks up to the room he was currently living in.

Once inside Remus placed Tonks gently on the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. "Let me see your arm," He asked, removing his wand from his pocket. Tonks held out her arm and with a quick spell he reset it.

"Thank God for that," she said once it was healed, moving her fingers. It still stung slightly but the pain had dulled considerably now that it was fixed.

"Is there anything else?" Remus asked, his eyes still filled with concern.

"There is one thing," Tonks smiled whilst grabbing his shirtfront and pulling him towards her. They kissed, pouring all the desperation and relief of six years without being with the other and not knowing whether the other was alive or not into the one action. Remus had not realized how much he'd missed kissing Tonks. It was amazing how such a simple action could say so much. After a while, they drew apart, their heads still close together and their breathing heavy.

"I still can't quite believe I'm here," Tonks muttered.

Remus smiled. "You are," he said. "And I'm never letting you leave my sight ever again."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Even when I need the loo?"

"I might make some exceptions." His expression then turned more serious. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again. "You don't want anything? Food? Water…?"

"Remus, I'm fine," she placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "I'm home." She patted the bed next to her. "Just lie with me."

Remus kicked off his shoes and climbed up onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Tonks and pulling the covers over them. He didn't care that he was still fully clothed. Tonks rolled over so she could face him, kissing him on the jaw and then resting her head on his shoulder, burying her face into his shoulder. Remus smiled, kissing her on the top of the head.

"I'll see Ted in the morning," Tonks spoke into his neck. "Don't want to scare the poor thing with my current state." Remus ran his fingers through her hair. There was a lengthy silence, which was then broken by Tonks once more. "Remus," she said. "Do you think he'll like me?"

Remus chuckled and Tonks looked up, a slightly puzzled look on her face. "Of course he will Love," he said. "Who wouldn't like you?"

Tonks raised her eyebrows," I could give you a list of names."

Remus smiled, continuing to run his hands through her hair. "He was just as concerned that you wouldn't like him." He said.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Tonks rested her head on his shoulder once more. It didn't take the couple long to fall into a deep restful sleep, both finally content and happy.

**I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to update this fanfic. Iv'e had the worst writers block ever! Every time i've looked at this story i've been unable to force myself to write anything for it because i've felt it wasn't good enough. I hope you've enjoyed this though. I promise to add a chapter on Tonks meeting Teddy, whether i'll continue from there though I am unsure.**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Much love in this chapter. I really enjoyed writing this and i hope you enjoy reading it! Teddy finally gets to meet his Mum :) **

Teddy was fast asleep, sprawled out on a camping bed in the middle of the already cramped room. Two beds were either side of him, containing a sleeping Ron and Harry. The room was still clearly a part of the Black home, with the far wall being a ghastly dark green that left a funny tinge to everything in the room. If it weren't for the various Quidditch posters, the sweet wrappers and the clothes that were strewn out everywhere, you would have never been able to identify it as a boys' room.

The mess and the fact that the three boys were so deeply asleep only confirmed that last night had been a lot of fun.

Remus stood in the doorway, looking down at Teddy and the blanket that was snaked around his body. He slept like his mother, limbs in all directions. He still looked comfortable though; he must have been, to be in such a deep sleep.

Remus crouched down next to his son and gently shook his shoulder, feeling slightly bad about waking him from his slumber.

Teddy groaned and buried his face in his pillow.

"Ted," Remus said. "You'll want to get up."

"No I don't," it was only quiet and muttered into his pillow but Remus heard it all the same.

"Really? I thought you'd want to meet your Mum."

It took a short while for the words to process in Teddy mind, but he soon sat up, his eyes wide and staring at his Dad. "What?" he mumbled.

Remus beamed, "your Mum Ted, she very much wants to see you."

"You found her?"

"Yes."

Teddy stood up, nearly tripping over the blanket that had twisted around his legs. Remus managed to steady him though before he landed on Ron. Teddy smiled sheepishly and followed Remus outside onto the landing.

It was unusually quiet in the old house. "What time is it?" Teddy asked, glancing up the corridors.

"Seven," Remus replied. "Dora woke up early and insisted I go find you." He smiled at Ted. "I believe she's fed up of waiting."

"Where was she Dad?"

"Malfoy Manor," Remus replied, keeping the details vague.

"The Malfoy's are death-eaters, aren't they?" Teddy looked up at him, his eyes searching Remus'. What for, he wasn't so sure, but he knew his son didn't let much get past him. He understood far more than most six year olds ever would.

They reached the bedroom and Teddy suddenly felt very unsure of himself. He stopped outside the door, staring at the wood grain.

"Just go in and give her a hug," Remus whispered.

Teddy stepped forward and pushed the door open.

His Mum was sat on the bed, wearing one of his Dad's old faded t-shirts. It was his favourite one; it had 'Part Wolf' written on it. The covers were around her legs and the dusty sunlight coming from the window gave her pink spiked hair a more vibrant twinge. It was a stark contrast to her pale skin. She looked just like all the photos he'd ever seen of her, but this time she was real. She was here, beaming down at him, her arms outstretched to meet him.

Teddy raced forward, scrambling up onto the bed and wrapping his arms around her. His Mum held him so tightly he thought she might never let go. But he didn't mind so much if she didn't.

"Hello Mum," he said.

Tonks let out a laugh, which quickly turned into a sob.

She pulled back, "Oh God, sorry Ted," she said, smiling weekly and wiping at her eyes. "I shouldn't cry really, it's silly."

"It's not silly," Remus said, sitting down next to Tonks on the bed. "It's anything but," he took hold of her hand.

Tonks looked at Teddy. "Look at you," she said. "My little boy, all grown up." She ran her fingers through his turquoise hair.

Teddy tilted his head, "I'm only six," he said.

Tonks smiled, "you were much smaller last time I saw you."

"I couldn't talk to you last time though." He reasoned.

"No, I guess not. I like your pajamas by the way, very cool," she said. Teddy looked down at the red Quidditch pajamas.

Teddy smiled, holding out his top, "Yeah, they're my favourite. They were a Christmas present from Uncle James and Lily. I think Uncle James bought them, because he really likes Quidditch."

"James was always unstoppable on a broom." Tonks said.

"So's young Harry," Remus added.

"Yeah!" Teddy said. "You should have seen it last time we met up! We all stayed at the Weasleys and they had a match. Harry was on one team and James was on the other. It was so exciting. James' team won in the end but only by one point and because Uncle Sirius got distracted. It was actually Harry who caught the snitch though."

"That does sound like an exciting match." Tonks said. "Shame I missed it. I must have missed a lot…" There was a slight sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah," said Teddy, "But don't worry, we'll help you catch up." He glanced at Remus.

Tonks smiled again, Teddy decided he liked her smile. "I'm curious," she said, raising an eyebrow, "how did Sirius become distracted?"

Remus laughed. "The only way Sirius ever gets distracted."

"There was this blonde lady," Teddy said. "She was some distant cousin of the Weasleys who was staying for a bit."

"I thought all the Weasleys' were ginger?" Tonks queried.

"That's exactly what I said!" Teddy jumped on the bed slightly.

Tonks laughed. "The cause of Sirius' distraction was some blonde Witch?" she glanced at Remus. "Glad to know some things haven't changed."

"Yeah, so he didn't block Bill, and he scored. So when Harry caught the Snitch James' team still won," Teddy concluded.

"It was rather entertaining to watch James struggle with his feelings." Remus said. "He was proud of Harry, but at the same time he was bested by him."

Teddy turned around on the bed, sitting down next to Tonks. "When we go to France we can play Quidditch over there, right?" He asked. "Harry _promised_ me he'd give me lessons."

Tonks looked up at Remus, "are we going to France then?" She asked.

"Most of the Order are over there already." Remus said. "It's safer."

"Is that where you've been living?" Tonks asked, once more marveling at how much she didn't know. How much she'd missed out on.

"No," Teddy said. "We've been living in Cornwall. Dad didn't want to go without you."

Tonks smiled, putting her arm around Teddy. "Well I'm here now," she said, glancing up at Remus and squeezing his hand. "And we can go wherever we want."

"Can we really?" Teddy asked, his eyes widening with possibilities. "Could we go to Africa?!"

Remus laughed, "within reason Ted."

"Oh." Teddy then gave a large yawn.

"Tired?" Tonks asked.

"Hmm, a little bit," he replied. Refusing to admit he was actually exhausted.

"How late did you stay up with Harry and Ron?" Remus asked.

Teddy shrugged. "Not sure," he responded, stifling another yawn. "It wasn't that late…I don't think."

"Did you have fun?" Tonks asked.

Teddy smiled, "yeah, we played smash again."

"What's smash?" Remus asked.

"You roll yourself up in duvets and then run at each other," Teddy said, smiling. "We played it the other night, 'member?"

Remus clearly remembered the results of the last game of smash all too well. "I remember you all eating a copious amount of sugar and you all nearly suffocating poor Ginny."

Teddy shrugged, "it wasn't as crazy as last time. We should play it at home."

"I don't think so," Remus said whilst chuckling.

"I think I know who'd win," Tonks added.

The family then lapsed into a comfortable silence. Teddy shut his eyes and after a few short moments he was fast asleep again, Tonks' arm still around his shoulders. Tonks watched Teddy as he fell asleep, his hair changing to a soft brown colour.

"He has your hair," Tonks said.

Remus chuckled slightly, "Really, I always thought he had yours," he responded.

Tonks refrained from rolling her eyes. "You know what I mean," she said. "His natural hair colour, when he doesn't morph."

"I know what you mean," he said, his thumb ghosting over her knuckles.

"It all seems like some elaborate dream," she said, still watching Teddy. "Like it can't be real." Tonks ran her fingers through Teddy's hair. "I hope don't ever wake up," she said.

"I'll make sure you don't," Remus muttered.

**Yay :) I hope you liked this chapter, please feel free to leave a review! They really do make my day. **

**I'm unsure of where to go further with this now that Tonks has been found and everyone is back together - so unless i get some pleads or some ideas i may leave it as it is. I do have a couple of ideas though - so hope is not entirely lost!**

**Millipher Steerus xx**


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